Blog Courtesy of Piercy & Company
1 Triton Square, located at Regent’s Place in London, was designed to support a changing model for life sciences workplaces — one where scientific performance, flexibility and everyday experience are considered equally important. Delivered by Piercy & Company + Arup and recognised with the Smart Workplace of the Year award at the Workspace Design Show Awards, the project transforms a former 1990s office building into a life science and technology hub designed for collaboration, research and growth.
Developed for British Land and Royal London Asset Management, the project sought to repurpose rather than rebuild, reducing embodied carbon while establishing adaptable spaces capable of supporting organisations at different stages of development. The ambition was to create a workplace and laboratory environment that could evolve over time, providing ready-to-use laboratories alongside flexible workspaces and shared environments for collaboration and exchange.
Originally designed by Arup for the Bank of Canada, the building’s existing structure provided the basis for the transformation. Deep trading floor voids and a light-filled atrium were retained and reworked to support openness, daylight and connection throughout the building. A major challenge was introducing the dense infrastructure required for laboratory use while preserving generous ceiling heights and spatial clarity.
The design balances technical performance with a more welcoming and human-centred workplace experience. Shared spaces across the ground floor and Level 1 were developed to encourage comfort, adaptability and interaction, while the atrium acts as both a daily collaboration hub and an event space. A new helical staircase creates movement and connection through the building, linking different settings for research, informal gathering and focused work.
Spatial planning was developed to support different ways of working. Level 1 introduces concentric zones, combining flexible offices, meeting rooms, collaboration areas, tea points and focus spaces. Semi-private booths, presentation areas, a coffee bar and shared lounges contribute to an environment designed to support both productivity and pause.
Materiality plays an important role in shaping the experience of the workplace. Oak perimeter walls, satin aluminium meeting rooms, timber atrium fins and a bespoke pink terrazzo floor introduce warmth and tactility while responding to the precision often associated with laboratory environments. Greenery, local artwork and carefully considered acoustic strategies further support a workplace designed around wellbeing and sensory comfort.
At the centre of the project is a design philosophy described as “Science meets human” — an approach that softens traditional laboratory typologies while maintaining technical rigour. Flexible spaces, adaptable seating arrangements and multifunctional social zones allow users to engage with the building in different ways, supporting both focused work and community interaction.
1 Triton Square ultimately demonstrates how adaptive reuse, workplace design and laboratory performance can come together to support a more connected and sustainable future for life sciences workplaces in London.