The science behind good acoustics

Great design to nurture an informal atmosphere and foster wellbeing.

The new workspace at AstraZeneca UK’s head office in Kings Cross, London has been designed by Ekho Studio and spans over 21,000 square feet across two floors.

Designed with more inclusive and collaborative working practices, the scheme includes bright open-plan offices spaces, meeting rooms along with break out areas, café and restaurant spilling out onto an outdoor terrace.

Using soft and wooden furniture with flexible spaces, the workspace nurtures an easy and informal atmosphere which in turn promotes collaborative work. As Sarah Dodsworth, Founding Partner of Ekho Studio comments:

“The overarching ethos for the new space was to create a healthier, more comfortable and productive workspace and to balance the needs of a supremely functional workplace, whilst creating a sense of aspiration. We worked on the scheme throughout the pandemic as we moved this branch of the company from their former Luton offices to an entirely new way of working in central London.”

The project needed to house more than 200 employees and over 150 workstations accommodating dynamic and fluid hybrid working patterns. The brief stated that the scheme need to promote health and wellbeing as well as be flexible, highly-efficient, ergonomic and sustainable. The scheme also needed to be biophilic and highly-energy-efficient, creating a space that would nurture an easy and informal atmosphere which in turn would foster serendipitous collaborations, with work and social behaviours are no longer siloed and instead mixing together naturally.

Part of the BREAAM excellent scheme includes Troldtekt wood wool acoustic panels used in several large open spaces to help control the acoustics. Supplied in a natural finish, they complement the other cosy wood fittings and furniture while mitigating the problems stemming from long reverberation time and reflected sound.