Banking Circle

Client overview

Banking Circle, located at King William Street in London, is a financial technology provider who recently moved to a 9815 ft² workspace with a design by Woodalls that embodies collaboration and creativity. The newly designed office focuses on productivity, community, and sustainability, balancing modern aesthetics with biophilic touches to foster a vibrant work environment.

The brief

Banking Circle needed an inviting, biophilic workspace featuring impactful planting. The design aimed to use natural elements creatively across collaborative and reception areas. Additionally, unique visual interest was essential, particularly in spaces with limited views or natural light.

Challenges

The project involved a significant amount of bespoke joinery with integrated planting, requiring custom-made GRP liners for planters across multiple areas to ensure a precise fit. Coordinating the liners’ production and installation to maintain accuracy and durability was essential to meet the design requirements.

What we did

In the reception area, we installed a striking curved planter filled with Strelitzia Nicolai, Kentia Palm, and Aglaonema Stripes, creating a welcoming focal point with varied foliage heights. The café space featured a custom planter block filled with trailing plants like Scindapsus and Philodendron, giving the space a relaxed, verdant aesthetic.

For the café banquette seating, planters were filled with Monstera Tuft and Asplenium, reaching up to 1500mm in height, creating a sense of privacy and natural enclosure for seated areas. The open plan touchdown area showcased unique trough planters with Maranta and Clusia Rosea, positioned behind reeded glass to create the effect of an outdoor garden visible through semi-obscure glass panels.

In the greenhouse room, MDF trough planters held replica Kentia Palm, Areca Palm, and Monstera, with reeded glass panels and replica plants positioned to bring the outdoors in and evoke a greenhouse atmosphere. For the 6-person workstations, round planters filled with Zamioculcas and Dracaena created natural partitions, while in meeting areas, tall Kentia Palm and Ficus Lyrata added height and vibrant greenery.

Outcome

The greenery in Banking Circle’s workspace became a central feature, enhancing comfort, focus, and creativity. The reeded glass installations offered a unique visual experience, blending art with biophilic design. The collaborative and relaxation spaces with plants created an atmosphere conducive to Banking Circle’s culture of openness and innovation.