The Digital Lab at Sainsbury’s head office was designed to encourage and facilitate creativity and collaboration within a new 180 strong team of digital experts who create and test the digital shopping solutions that are a core part of the company’s business strategy.

Clever planning using BIM allowed a new mezzanine level to be inserted into unused space discovered above an existing basement catering facility, increasing net usable space by more than 300sq.m, making the existing space more efficient, and providing flexibility for future expansion.

A Lab-level ‘Garden Space’ provides a range of flexible activity spaces. Open plan team areas are mixed with quiet ‘scrums’ and a range of meeting facilities, using hot-spots of vibrant colours to highlight destination spaces for groups of varying sizes. The new mezzanine level ‘Tree House in the Clouds’ includes a series of hexagonal ‘hives’ linked by walkways and provides quieter touch-down spaces for more concentrated working. Linking the two spaces is a central ‘Collaborative Stair’ creating an auditorium area for group work and presentations as well as a place to sit and socialise.

The Lab’s non-traditional work settings are now being rolled out throughout the remaining office floors at Holborn and in other Sainsbury’s Store Support Centres.