Pizza Express - Balcombe Street - Case Study

Pizza Express - Case Study

project	Gondola Headquarters, London		timescale	Six weeks on site
location	Balcombe Street London
			area	12,000 sqft
			averages	£37 per sqft

How we met the challenge

The relocation for Gondola needed to house all the brands of the Company (PizzaExpress, ASK and Zizzi) in one office. Architectural Interiors worked closely with Gondola to understand their exact requirements. Once we had this information we were able to provide space plans of various buildings until we found the right office for their relocation.

The brief was to accommodate a headcount of 105 in an open plan area. Various offices for Managers and Directors, who support each brand, were also required. With careful space planning we were able to incorporate existing meeting rooms into the design, which meant cost savings. These funds were later re-directed to increase the budget of the development kitchen.

As the office did not having a raised floor, in order to feed each work station bank, the data and electrical services had to be situated around the perimeter. It was decided we would use two comms rooms as the data cable lengths could not exceed 100m. The air conditioning was then installed making sure the space was adequately heated and cooled within Building Control requirements.

The reception area was collaboration between various parties, Architectural Interiors worked very closely with Gondola’s in house design team to create an original layout incorporating various types of soft seating on different levels.

The manned reception desk was a special design feature providing a continuation of the floor finish into the work surface. The coffee bar area was a new addition to the reception providing an easy going relaxed atmosphere. Feature lighting played an important role as the combination of space, light and corporate branding really sets the tone and ambience of this area.