6-24 Britannia Street – CAT B

Following two decades at their Holborn headquarters, Thames & Hudson embarked on an ambitious relocation to the vibrant city fringes of London, selecting a 16,000 sq. ft. space in the former Gagosian Gallery at Kings Cross. We had previously transformed the space, alongside Stanton Williams into a stunning CAT A office space with polished concrete floors, timber-lined mezzanines, and exposed services.  Following the successful completion of the CAT A space, Virtus Designworks were approached to design a CAT B proposal that celebrated the company’s collaborative ambitions and showcased their publications.

This test fit allowed the client and their agents to review the space through the lens of their specific requirements, and ultimately informed the decision to sign a lease.  Once the lease was signed, we brought our team together and through workshops with the client, we were able to produce a design that met their brief, was within budget and had an associated programme that worked with the company’s deadlines.

A key design feature of the proposal was to place emphasis on the various divisions in the business. By creating neighborhoods that allowed the departments to sit together within the context of the open-plan space. The business has been able to move from five floors of office, to one open plan space with a mezzanine. This change supports their wider strategy of collaboration and communication.

The successful delivery of Thames & Hudson’s relocation was not without its challenges, particularly in managing the intricate interface between client direct contractors and our own supply chain. With multiple specialist trades operating concurrently, meticulous coordination was required to ensure seamless integration, while maintaining programme and quality standards.

A key complexity arose from the installation of M&E plant, fixtures, and fittings within bespoke joinery elements. This required a highly collaborative effort between our site team, designers and specialist trades. Given the bespoke nature of the joinery, precise spatial coordination was critical to ensure services could be integrated within, while guaranteeing both functionality and aesthetic intent. Through detailed workshops and early procurement of key components, we were able to mitigate installation risks and avoid costly reworks, ensuring the outcome aligned with the high-end design vision.

Additionally, the mezzanine extension posed a significant risk due to the need for Network Rail approvals, which typically come with extended lead times that could have delayed the programme. However, leveraging our existing relationships with Network Rail, we were able to reduce standard approval timescales by half, significantly mitigating risk to the construction programme. This ensured that structural works could proceed without delay, allowing other trades to commence their works in line with the critical path.

Further intensifying the project pressures, the client’s existing lease expired just two weeks after our contracted completion date, leaving a narrow margin to avoid potential costs associated with extending their lease. Recognising the urgency and adopting their pressures, we committed to accelerating our works to facilitate early occupation, ensuring the client could move in ahead of schedule. This proactive approach was well received by the client, enabling them to bring forward the installation of loose FF&E via their direct contractors, who worked in parallel with our final fitout works. While this created a high-pressure environment, the project team’s meticulous management ensured that key milestones were met, allowing for continuity across all parties involved.

Despite the compressed programme and intricate coordination challenges, our team remained committed to delivering early, and to an exceptional standard of quality. Through strategic planning, rigorous attention to detail, and a can-do-focused mindset, we successfully completed the project two weeks ahead of schedule. From conception through to completion, we exceeded client expectations and reinforced our reputation for delivering complex fitouts with precision, efficiency, and real quality.