In pictures: Basha-Franklin completes refurbishment project at The Cabot

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Source: Philip Durrant

Source: Philip Durrant

Source: Philip Durrant

Source: Philip Durrant

Source: Philip Durrant

Source: Philip Durrant

Source: Philip Durrant

Source: Philip Durrant

Source: Philip Durrant

Source: Philip Durrant

Source: Philip Durrant

Source: Philip Durrant

Source: Philip Durrant

Source: Philip Durrant

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Architecture and interior design practice Basha-Franklin has completed a redesign of the lobby of The Cabot, an office building in the heart of Canary Wharf.

Originally built in 1991, the 17-storey building comprises office, retail, and ancillary facilities. Following a Cat A refurbishment in 2019, the lobby design was left with a finish of terrazzo floor, oak timber and an illuminated ceiling reminiscent of the Mies van de Rohe TD Centre in Toronto. 

Retaining these elements within the new design, Basha-Franklin has adopted a “hotelisation” approach to overhaul the 558m2 office lobby and mezzanine level, interweaving reception and collaborative coworking areas. The space seeks to strike a balance between order and variety, with active and quieter spaces, alongside a focus on furniture and materials that are intended to be reminiscent of a high-end hotel.

Rachel Basha, principal director at Basha-Franklin, said: “We took the opportunity to rethink the handsome, double-height ground floor architectural envelope and mezzanine level to realise the potential of the lobby’s proportions for a consciously positive human experience. 

“A key move was to humanise the voluminous space, bringing it back to a more comfortable scale and dividing it into a series of connected environments with different uses. We maximised our client’s investment with a series of considered injections of activities to create a significant impact.”

Planting wraps around the furniture, helping to delineate spaces and minimise noise levels while creating moments of privacy. Looking up through the double-height ground floor, occupiers glimpse trailing greenery on the mezzanine level; the intended effect is to ground the space, making visual connections between levels while enhancing people’s sense of wellbeing.

The space strikes a balance between order and variety, with active and refuge spaces

As part of the project, the practice created a direct-to-market Cat B fit out on the 10th floor, continuing the entrance lobby’s design approach, with similar attention paid to colour, furniture, and finishes.

Spanning 349m2, the office space incorporates a welcoming arrival and touchdown area, refreshment point, two meeting rooms, a separate phone booth and open-plan office space, which also allows for hot-desking.

The reception desk is made from Alpi veneer, created using poplar, lime wood and ayous from certified and sustainable forests. The floor is made from Corkform, which is sourced from a Climate+ collection predominantly made from recycled bottle corks.

Basha added: “Tenants have a lot of choice when it comes to office space, but many of them lack personality, colour, and style. What we’ve created is a space that isn’t typical for the Canary Wharf of old, but a desirable office appropriate for the new era of the district, more like a boutique hotel, rather than a corporate, generic space.

“Canary Wharf is transitioning into a more lifestyle-led destination. So we’ve created a high-quality space reflective of its vibrancy, designed to appeal to this new generation workforce.”