Connor Renwick: Second Home Opens a Family-Friendly Creative Workspace in London Fields

Wednesday, July 10, 2019

Second Home Opens a Family-Friendly Creative Workspace in London Fields

Second Home, the membership-only creative workspace community, unveiled their fourth London location in London Fields. In order to provide members with a better work/life balance, the co-founders Rohan Silva and Sam Aldenton, who are both fathers to newborns, set out to make the venue more appealing by having childcare right on site. Second Home London Fields marks the brand’s first location to offer a nursery space and they’ve partnered with N Family Club, one of London’s most forward-thinking childcare providers, to make it happen. Along with being the most family friendly place to work, the building runs completely on green energy.

Photo by Iwan Baan

This London Fields location was designed by Estudio Lasso Cano who were inspired by German architect Frei Otto’s biophilic shapes and forms. The interior is filled with natural light, vibrant colors, and lots of greenery, all of which make for an inviting and inspiring environment. White surfaces and tall ceilings keep the space feeling open and bright, while partitions in varying opacities offer different levels of privacy.

Cutouts in the floors provide views to the floors below, or if you’re at the bottom, you can look up to see what’s going on above you.

Photo by Iwan Baan

The community occupying the London Fields location is a diverse bunch, ranging from smaller charities to startups to blue-chip corporations.

Photo by Iwan Baan

Photo by Taran Wilkhu

The N Family Club stays open from 7am – 7pm Monday through Friday so parents don’t need to rush out of work at 5pm to get their kids from typical daycare. Also, having their kids in the same building helps reduce stress while trying to balance work and home life.

Photo by Taran Wilkhu

Photo by Iwan Baan

The exterior features a bubble-like facade made from ETFE, a durable woven fabric that stretches over a sculptural frame, making a bold impact within its urban surroundings.