The Student Loans Company’s 78,500sq ft Memphis Building is a former industrial shed. The building is striking, but its vast expanse of exposed roof structure is visually monotonous. C2’s design, therefore, adds interest to the space by dividing it into three horizontal planes.

The first is the floor, which offers a variety of circulation routes. The working elements – desks, collaboration areas and facility areas – sit in a middle zone. And the upper plane features the complex roof structure and roof-level M&E kit.

To contrast with the lines of the roof structure, the desks are arranged in triangular formations, supported by triangular locker and facility pods. The desks are bounded by sliding writeable and acoustic felt screens, which are also wayfinding devices.

Uplit canopies above the facility pods help to draw the eye away from the upper plane, while trees and other planting create a sense of nature in the deep plan space.