Universal were appointed by the Real Estate Investment Trust to refurbish the reception and atrium to Greencoat House, an office development for a number of commercial and media companies in Victoria, London.

A combination of harsh lighting, poor acoustics and lack of comfortable seating meant that the waiting area had become all but redundant. A pronounced level change between the reception desk and waiting area made communication between the receptionist and seated visitors impossible.

Universal addressed the challenges of the split-level common areas by designing a combined reception desk and sculpture plinth that spanned the upper and lower levels. The desk was realised as a series of brightly coloured inverted boxes made from anodised aluminium framed in a black gloss body.

A number of devices were used to define and soften the seating area: The walls were rebuilt to form a radiused corner and finished in a ceramic tile to create contrast with the circulation spaces. A mid height curved upholstered screen which ran along the tiled walls hugged the soft seating area and acted as an acoustic baffle and low slung pendants brought the lighting down to a more intimate level.

Bold BarberOsgerby furniture sat at an appropriate scale to the generous seating area. The large L-shaped Panoramic sofa helped to define and shelter the area further and the bright vermillion Zero In tables tied in with the colour scheme of the reception desk.

A new lighting scheme throughout the common stairwell and circulation areas enhanced and uplifted the existing features of the period building and a disused lightwell was brought to life with a daylight-imitating installation.