Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer

100 Bishopsgate, London

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP (Freshfields), one of the world’s leading legal services companies, has relocated their headquarters in London to 100 Bishopsgate.  Freshfields was founded in the eighteenth century and is a member of the prestigious Magic Circle of leading London-based law firms.   In a move to minimise the firm's environmental impact, Freshfields has moved from its home of 30 years in Fleet Street to the new City of London development.

We were engaged to design lighting front and back of house areas working in close collaboration with interior architect ID:SR.

The project has been carefully planned to minimise the environmental impact and support staff wellbeing.  Freshfields’ tenancy is powered from 100% renewable energy and the LED system and associated controls helped the project achieve a BREEAM Excellent sustainability rating and SKA Gold.  The new fit-out has resulted in a 30% energy saving compared to their previous accommodation.

The lighting is designed not just for energy efficiency but for flexibility to support agile working too. For the lighting designers, this meant that a wide range of illumination conditions was required to accommodate different ages and preference of staff as well as natural light availability.

While many projects of this type may employ the services of a lighting designer for the front of house client-facing areas a more integrated approach was required for Freshfields.  We were charged with lighting all spaces, enabling a seamless visual transition between the spaces.  Lighting is designed with respect to Freshfields’ philosophy that their staff are their most valuable asset and their work environment and wellbeing are intrinsically linked.

“It has been an honour and a privilege to work on such a high profile and exciting project.  It was a fantastic mix of an informed client, intelligent project management, creative wider design team and a can-do construction team that made this project such a success”.

Christopher Knowlton