A Tour of GoCardless’ Sleek New London Office

Michal
Technology
6 years ago

GoCardless, a fintech company that allows merchants to easily accept recurring payments online, recently moved into a new office in London, designed by workplace design firm Peldon Rose.

“As a growing FinTech company, they relocated their office from Angel to Clerkenwell into a more agile environment. By moving to Sutton Yard in Clerkenwell, GoCardless wanted to stay in a creative hub which would allow them to retain and attract the best talent in their industry. This extra space provides the business with room to grow and continue expanding in the future. Throughout the office, there are a variety of micro environments which encourage staff to work away from their desks. Sofas, armchairs, booths and high benches are examples of the different working environments which staff use for project work, private working or quick meetings. One of the main inspirations behind this office design was the concept of trust, an important value which GoCardless promote amongst all their staff. This was translated into creating a workspace that promotes diversity, choice and freedom. he main hub of activity is formed around the bleacher seating and presentation space on the ground and first floors. This space houses meeting rooms, two large tea points and the main breakout space. The bleachers act as a natural gathering point, making it easier for staff to integrate with each other and marking a clear area in the office which is designated for socialising and collaborating. These types of spaces are influential in drawing staff together into the same spaces to create a more connected community space. Naturally, by being split over three floors, GoCardless wanted to avoid compartmentalised, disconnected teams so there was a large focus on installing multi-purpose, collaborative work spaces. The ground floor provides a ‘shop window’ into the business and showcases the busy social hub and breakout point. Staff can play games consoles and table tennis and have space to have lunch together away from their desk in a comfortable, homely environment. As a growing company, meeting space was a crucial requirement for the business when they relocated their office. The more formal meeting rooms and boardroom are named after global currencies and give people private spaces to meet. Across the three floors of the GoCardless office, staff are able to choose from a variety of different agile working spaces and meeting areas. This element of choice in the workplace was an important feature of the new office, providing an environment to support different working styles. We have provided private focus spaces in the library area and a selection of private booths which allow staff to work quietly. The high benches and other agile areas are ideal for the open culture at GoCardless. Sofas, high benches and other informal areas give extra flexibility to the space. The GoCardless office at Sutton Yard has been designed to optimise the floor plates spread across three floors. Due to the architecture of the building, we have taken the flow of the space into consideration and how the space works together. We installed staircases through the office to ensure that it was easy for everyone to interact with each other and promote this feeling of being connected. We used the space to create separation without making the space disconnected which allows for quieter spaces as well as more social spaces. The look and feel of the office is very much in keeping with the original architecture of the property at Sutton Yard. The striking exposed columns feature through the space, complementing the creative, start-up atmosphere at GoCardless.”