Sustainable Workspaces 5th Floor

U-Build have recently completed the second iteration of an extensive co-working and office space for non-profit start-up accelerator and investor, Sustainable Workplaces.

In 2021, we worked with Sustainable Workspaces to create a modular, removable partition system for a co-working space on the 3rd floor of County Hall, Southbank. The vision was to relocate each partition system to the 5th floor of County Hall, when a complete renovation of the derelict upper floor space was complete. Two years later the 5th floor has transformed; the modular partition system has been reconfigured and installed into an extensive co-working environment. 

The removable partitions utilised a compression system, designed specifically for the two sites, leaving no-trace on the 3rd floor building fabric. The adjustable nature of this modular box system meant 95% of the system was reused on the 5th floor. A simple sanding process restored the reused modular boxes to a high-quality clean finish, an important aspect in the circularity of our product. The remaining 5% of timber provides window sills, custom furniture and signage throughout the site. Due to the extensive 3,500sqm site, U-Build created a second batch of modular boxes, including a new meeting pod and phone booth typology. 

Architects, Material Works Architecture, completed an extensive masterplan and renovation of the grade II listed building, conserving historical features and creating a dynamic work environment. In response to the site, the U-Build system is a lightweight touch on the existing building fabric; a celebration of historical architecture and modern methods of construction. The reusability of our modular boxes has immensely reduced the carbon footprint and environmental impact of this commercial workspace. Overall, we are delighted with the design language and circularity of our modular system.