In early 2020, LTS Architects moved to a new office space in the heart of Spitalfields. The ground and basement level office unit is located in the Toynbee Hall Estate, overlooking a new public square which is shared with the historic and Grade II listed Toynbee Hall.

In the context of the Climate Emergency, our priority in designing our new home was to minimise embodied carbon and to contain our energy use providing an exemplar for us to show those we work with.

The ground floor contains the main workspaces and a small meeting room. The basement level is designed around a long meeting table set beneath a lowered timber slatted ceiling, naturally lit by an internal skylight. This is where the team gathers for weekly meetings and communal Friday lunches. The basement also houses a meeting room, additional rentable desks, a kitchen, printing area and toilets.

Our pioneering low energy lighting strategy was developed in collaboration with Hoare Lea. The new ambient lighting scheme maximises the use of natural light, using PIR and daylight dimming to control light levels across the space.

All new partitions use Fermacell boards, which are either left unfinished or painted with low VOC paint. Fermacell is made from recycled paper, water and flue-gas desulphurisation gypsum, a power station waste product. Using no additional glues, the product is durable, fully recyclable and emits no hazardous substances.

The floor finishes include carbon neutral carpet tiles by Interface, a fully recycled raised floor and wallpaper and FSC timber flooring from Havwoods with a fully recyclable, UK made underlay. In the toilets, the colourful Okofloor flooring is made from organic castor and rapeseed oils and is 100% recyclable.

We worked with Rype Office to ensure we didn’t buy any new furniture but rather repaired existing or bought recycled furniture. Nothing was sent to landfill.

We are an open, friendly and environmentally driven team and we are now housed in an office space that beautifully reflects us and our values.