But not too far – just around the corner. We have packed up our boxes, laptops and three (almost) dead plants and relocated to Bureau, a coworking space in North Greenwich’s Design District.
Bureau, Design District by HNNA
DG Cities has been based on the Greenwich Peninsula since 2015, when we were founded by the Royal Borough of Greenwich as an independent consultancy. Our first home was in Mitre Passage, just south of The O2, in one of the early office developments by the river. From there, we have moved around a little as the team has grown and our needs have evolved. We have witnessed the area’s transformation. We watched (and heard!) the Design District being built outside our window, before moving into one of its early buildings, the Institute for Creativity and Technology. Even though some of the final phases are still under construction, the district has already established itself as a unique place, with a great community of creatives, researchers, businesses, students and visitors. It’s testament to this energy that the new workspaces have gone from zero to more than 75% occupancy in a relatively short space of time.
We have also played a part in the Peninsula’s role as a place for experimentation. Just along the river to the west is Morden Wharf, a new neighbourhood of homes, offices, leisure spaces and a waterfront park currently under construction. In 2019, its developers, U + I commissioned us to future-cast the lifestyle and technological changes that were likely to impact on its development, with a particular focus on mobility. Since then, as an outcome of our work on Endeavour, the UK’s first public self-driving car trial, we created the Mobility Assessment Framework. This tool gives local authorities and developers an auditable evidence base to plan ahead for transport and mobility needs, decades from a project’s inception. In 2018, we were also involved in the design and implementation of a future mobility hub for BP close to The O2 – the first of its kind in the UK, it combined EV charging with ‘last mile’ transport options and useful local services.
Bureau
Bureau is designed to support new ways of working and promote collaboration, within and between companies. The distinctive white-rippled building is designed by HNNA with interiors by Roz Barr Architects. The two come together in a very clever workplace, which offers a variety of spaces – and recognises that a meeting room doesn’t have to be a 12-seat windowless box. It can be a padded, soundproof nook for a video call, a terraced lounge, a kitchen bench, a red salon or a studio. Or it can be a 12-person box when you need it, but with a window, integrated technology and a great rug. Right now, this approach suits our flexible, hybrid team. On any given day, you might find some of us on site doing research for a project, speaking at an industry event, working from home or in the test lab of a consortium partner. But for those that do want to come in, there’s a great studio space, which is ideal for collaboration, but also a good place to concentrate on a piece of work.
So far, the team has given the lunches top marks and everyone has appreciated the dog-friendly policy. Thank you to the Bureau team who have made us feel very welcome (and helped us get in and out while we get the hang of the doors). We’re looking forward to getting to know some of our new neighbours soon. In honour of the move, here’s a short film we just made to introduce what we do, how we do it and, when it comes to introducing new technologies, systems or services, why we think our people-first approach is important.