MCM was appointed in 2014 by Havas UK to assist them with the consolidation of all of their London offices into one central location, 3 Pancras Square.

With over 26 brands and 1700 staff spread across 15 London sites, the overall brief was to bring a disparate organisation from various sites together into a new 160,000 sq ft (15,000 sq m) headquarters building, situated at the heart of the Kings Cross development, whilst still retaining brand identity. MCM developed a workplace strategy to inspire creativity within the workforce & unleash the full potential of its people. Through extensive consultation with all of the individual Company and Brand
Chief Executives, core themes were established which were used to form the
concept of the ‘Vertical Village’.

Chris Hirst, UK Chairman & Europe CEO, Havas, said “Making such a significant move has enabled us to both individually and collectively rethink our businesses, to
reshape how we work and to reshape how we think about ourselves. And that’s
what we needed to do.”

Set over ten floors, the experience starts from the moment you enter a dramatic entrance hall. Reclaimed timber flooring from the Moorfields Eye Hospital, low-level lighting and an eye-catching steel staircase, make it feel like a trendy members club, rather than a commercial office building. Destination spaces were created throughout building to enhance interaction and collaboration between brands. The creative café, civic spaces, various ‘secret’ meeting rooms and the Forum - a double-height, 200-person auditorium, all help to ensure that the building united all the agencies and
brands. The building has become a showcase for Havas to demonstrate and support
their creativity, whether clients, collaborators or colleagues.

Working closely with Havas and the developer, Argent, MCM implemented an extensive series of tenant requested modifications to the base-build to facilitate, amongst other changes, 14 additional flights of stairs to encourage collaboration and movement up and through the vertical village.  These staircases create intersections throughout the whole building, natural in-between spaces for chance encounters deliberately causing conflict and disruption to enhance interaction, creativity and collaboration between brands.

The challenging 25-week construction programme completed in early 2017, resulting in a space that has been embraced by everyone who uses it. Not only has it succeeded in bringing people together and giving them the opportunity to work more efficiently and more creatively, but the building and the space are now used as a tool for Havas to win more business, celebrate talent and engage with the wider Kings Cross community.

About MCM Architecture

MCM Architecture is an international, award-winning architecture and design practice specialising in workplace consultancy, interiors and architecture.  The company was established in 1989 and has over 50 staff. The practice operates throughout the world from their office in London. Additionally, MCM has alliances with practices in New York, Chicago, Paris, Singapore and Dubai.

About Havas

Havas is one of the world’s largest global advertising and communications groups. Founded in 1835 in Paris, the Group currently employs 16,000 people in over 100 countries. Havas is committed to being the world’s best company at creating meaningful connections between people and brands through creativity, media and innovation.
 

Key team members:

Interior Architect: MCM Architecture

Landlord / Developer: Argent

Project Manager: JLL

Quantity Surveyor: CoreFive

Contractor: StructureTone

M&E Engineer: Troup Bywaters & Anders

IT/AV Consultant: Mix Consultancy