Work.Life’s Clerkenwell Green coworking hub brought together Two and Platfform to reimagine an Edwardian industrial building into a layered, flexible workplace. The project balances Clerkenwell’s historic identity as a maker’s district with a calm, modern aesthetic, while chosen furniture pieces ground the design in comfort, colour, and function.
Project in Brief
Eight floors transformed into coworking, meeting and social spaces rooted in Clerkenwell’s heritage
Bold colour-drenched meeting rooms inspired by local trades
Furniture curated from Rawside, ORN, Vitra, Johanson, Normann Copenhagen and more
From Printers to Pioneers
Two drew inspiration from Clerkenwell’s industrial legacy to shape a space that feels both grounded and forward-looking. Terracotta tones, muted greens, and concrete-effect finishes connected the interiors to the area’s artisanal past, while exposed ceilings sprayed in unified colours softened the building’s raw edges. Meeting rooms became immersive environments, each colour-drenched to reflect local trades from gin distillers to clockmakers. Despite irregular walls and clashing floor levels, Two created a fluid workplace by positioning offices along window lines to capture natural light and concentrating meeting rooms in the basement and lower levels. Sustainability ran through the build, from salvaging sanitaryware to reusing the existing MEP system, ensuring the design responded to the quirks of the Edwardian shell without excess waste.
Tools of the Trade
Platfform curated a furniture scheme that feels as inventive as Clerkenwell’s maker heritage, each piece chosen to bring character and variety to the space. In the café, ORN Twyst stools in forest green and metal-lined banquette tables are complemented by Johanson Vinga chairs in soft Kvadrat Remix deep forest green fabric. An Allermuir Sunda 2 oak-topped coffee table anchors the lounge. Collaboration zones introduced bold accents through Vitra DSR chairs in ice blue and pale rose, paired with a sculptural Vitra Panton chair in classic red, a playful contrast to the earthy palette running through the building.
Breakout spaces leaned into texture: Johanson Haddoc lounge chairs in rust red with beige outers sat beside Normann Copenhagen Drape lounge chairs upholstered in soft blush pink. Elsewhere, Ondarreta Ginger lounge chairs in neutral and Johanson Frankie lounge chairs in traffic blue added depth and a nod to Clerkenwell’s colourful creative past. Boardroom settings brought gravitas with a Rawside Workaround oak table matched to ORN Loria C.P chairs in warm grey on swivel bases, while quieter corners featured statement pieces like the Normann Copenhagen Dit side table in silver travertine.
Modus and Platfform came together to create a one-of-a-kind Tenant-Ready™ workspace for Native Land at Arbor, Bankside Yards. Spanning 6,100 sq ft on Level 4 of the UK’s first fossil-fuel-free mixed-use development, the workspace was delivered in just eight weeks, without compromising on character, quality, or flexibility.
