Workspace Design Show London Unveils “Connected Realities” Installations Designed by MCM, Peldon Rose, Gensler, M Moser Associates
Workspace Design Show (25–26 February 2026, Business Design Centre, London) returns with a powerful series of immersive installations that bring the show’s 2026 theme, Connected Realities, to life. Designed by leading architecture and workplace design studios, these installations explore how physical environments, digital systems, material innovation and human experience are becoming increasingly interconnected in the modern workplace.
Together, the installations form a journey across the show floor, inviting visitors to pause, interact, reflect and reimagine how workplaces are designed, experienced and sustained.
The Circular Hub by MCM & Future Works
Designed by MCM in partnership with Future Works, innovation venture of The Furniture Practice, the Circular Hub is a dedicated space exploring circularity across a range of product typologies. Materials are traced from raw to refined, with natural and synthetic options displayed side by side to reveal different circular pathways. The space features material and product contributions from Nested Living, Materials Assemble, Tate, Vitra and Planteria.
A programme of hands-on challenges invites participants to dismantle and rebuild a piece of furniture, putting adaptability, repair and reuse into practice. The stand itself functions as a live prototype, demonstrating a minimal, near zero-waste exhibition approach rooted in learning, experimentation and reuse.
Insights Lounge: Exhale by Peldon Rose
Peldon Rose presents Exhale: a pavilion for deep listening. Attention softens, breath slows, and ideas settle. Between talks, a twenty-minute exhale unfolds, an architectural weather shift shaped by scent and light, renewing the atmosphere and re-tuning the space. This is the new home for Sustainability Talks & Occupiers Forum.
Merge: The M Moser lounge
Merge invites visitors to explore the evolving relationship between craft and technology. It's split into two journeys, one designed and one to discover. The installation shows how integrated workplace technology supports flexibility and real-time responsiveness. Suppliers include Camira, Viccarbe, Osol, Planteria and Steelcase.
Through intuitive digital interfaces, people can personalise elements such as lighting and colour, actively transforming the space around them. This interaction softens the boundary between user and environment, showing how future workplaces are shaped not only for people, but also by them.
Workspace Design Talks Lounge designed by Gensler and Area
Inspired by this year’s theme “Connected Realities,” the stage design moves between physical and digital realms. Transporting visitors into a new dimension, cosmic colours fade into gentle gradients, forming a calm yet mysterious space. At the centre, a circular stage brings the focus back to people, suggesting that in our shifting worlds, human connection remains our true ground.
“These installations are not visual statements alone. They are experiences designed to provoke conversation, reflection and interaction,” says Esha Bark-Jones, Show Director, Workspace Design Show. “Connected Realities is about how workplaces are evolving in real time, and these installations allow visitors to experience that evolution first-hand.”
Following the installations, visitors can explore the wider exhibition featuring hundreds of workplace products from international and UK brands, alongside four dedicated talks stages Workspace Design Talks, Sustainability Talks, Occupiers Forum and the FIS Conference, delivering a comprehensive conference programme across the two days. With over 120 speakers, the programme brings together leading architects, designers, occupiers and workplace strategists to discuss the ideas, challenges and opportunities shaping the future of work.
Register now to attend the exhibition and explore these installations in-person: workspaceshow.co.uk
Best in Workplace Design Recognised in 2026 Workspace Design Awards Shortlist
The 2026 edition of Workspace Design Show has officially revealed the shortlisted projects for its newly launched Workspace Design Awards, recognising outstanding achievements across workplace design, innovation, sustainability, experience and adaptability.
The shortlisted projects showcase the breadth and depth of talent shaping today’s workplaces across the UK and Europe, from smart offices and large-scale corporate headquarters to flexible co-working environments and future-focused concept designs.
Winners from all categories will be announced live at the Workspace Design Awards Ceremony & Networking Party, taking place on Wednesday 25 February 2026 from 5:30pm to 7:30pm. The evening will bring together designers, architects, occupiers, and industry leaders to celebrate the most creative projects in workplace design. The networking party is also proudly sponsored by Mute, who is the main Headline Sponsor of the awards.
2026 Workspace Design Awards Shortlist
Office Design of the Year (Under 3000 sqm), category sponsored by Mute
- M Moser London Living Lab — M Moser Associates
- ICE, 7 Devonshire Square — HOP
- Thames & Hudson HQ — Virtus
- Confidential Consulting Firm – Newark Headquarters — HLW
- Global Insurance Provider — AIS
- The Association of British Insurers (The ABI) — Oktra
Office Design of the Year (Over 3000 sqm), category sponsored by Oscar Acoustics
- OSMO — EPR Architects
- Virgin Media O2 — Gensler
- Uncommon Holborn — Uncommon
- Capital Group — tp bennett
- Lloyds Banking Group, Wellington Place, Leeds — Lloyds Banking Group
Smart Workplace of the Year
- 1 Triton Square — Piercy & Company + Arup
- The Turing Building — Area
- Livesport Offices Digital Playground — LIKO-S, a.s.
Best Workplace Retrofit Project of the Year, category sponsored by Mute
- Uncommon Holborn — Uncommon
- The Acre — Gensler
- TSK x Medical Protection Society (MPS) — TSK
- Forsters — ID:SR Sheppard Robson
Workplace Experience Design of the Year, category sponsored by Modulyss
- Sanofi M Station — Gensler
- WPP Campus: One Southwark Bridge — WPP
- Rijk Zwaan Seed Connect Centre — Ce. architects & designers
- Investec, Client Experience — tp bennett
- Revolut London — AIS
Best Coworking or Flexspace Design of the Year
- Investec, Client Experience — tp bennett
- Uncommon Holborn — Uncommon
- 1 Triton Square — Arup + Piercy & Company (Co-Designers)
- Tradestars Islington — Resonate Interiors
Sustainable Workplace Design of the Year, category sponsored by Ojmar
- Ecosurety — Interaction
- OSMO — EPR Architects
- PLP Architecture’s Circular Office Fit-Out — PLP Architecture
- Sustainable Energy Office — Ce. architects & designers
Best Concept Workplace Project of the Year
- Northern Energy HQ — Studio 93 Ltd
- Veolia — Curo Workspace
- Rove HQ — Zebra
- Dover Street – Peldon Rose & Savills Workplace Design — Peldon Rose
Speaking on the announcement of the shortlist, the CEO of Mute said:
“The Workspace Design Awards celebrate the environments that truly shape how people work, collaborate, and feel. We’re proud to support an awards programme that recognises design thinking at its best where performance, wellbeing, and experience come together.”
Commenting on the shortlist, Esha Bark-Jones, Event Director of Workspace Design Show, said:
“The quality and diversity of this year’s shortlist reflects just how quickly workplace design continues to evolve. These projects demonstrate thoughtful responses to changing ways of working, placing experience, sustainability and long-term value at the centre of design.”
The awards ceremony will be hosted by Alys Bryan, Managing Editor of Design Insider, alongside Anna King, Founder of Informare.
The Workspace Design Awards ceremony takes place during Workspace Design Show London, offering attendees the opportunity to experience the shortlisted projects, explore innovative workplace solutions, and celebrate the industry’s best talent. Priority seating at the ceremony will be allocated to shortlisted teams and the judging panel.
The 2026 Workspace Design Awards trophy, designed and produced by CECOCECO, reflects the evolving values of contemporary workspace design. Shaped as a sculptural “W”, the trophy symbolises how successful workplaces are formed through the coming together of multiple ideas, disciplines and perspectives, while its 3D-printed construction minimises material waste and avoids traditional mould-based processes. Finished using CECOCECO’s surface design technology, the trophy combines terrazzo-inspired and wood-grain textures to create the warmth of natural materials without their environmental cost, resulting in a lasting symbol of thoughtful, responsible design.
Register now to attend the exhibition and join us at the awards ceremony on 25 February 2026: workspaceshow.co.uk
The 2026 Workspace Design Awards are supported by industry partners including Mute (Headline Sponsor), Ojmar, Modulyss, Oscar Acoustics (Category Sponsors) and CecoCeco (Trophy Sponsor).