Working with two different design teams, Ergonom has given diversified mining and exploration company Rio Tinto’s two London offices different solutions.

Its new Paddington Waterside offices, strategically located just steps from Paddington station, accommodate over 550 people in a largely open plan space. Chosen for their proximity to national and international transport links, the space has been designed with aesthetics and logistics in mind.

Company staff visiting London not only find it easy to get to, but once they are on site, they can sit down and get to work quickly and comfortably in an atmosphere that is light and airy but also quiet.

Ergonom’s Hamish Gregorie, who managed the project with Bennett Interior Design, commented that this commission captured his imagination for a variety of reasons.

Rio Tinto had very specific requirements about how the spine walls and workstations had to be integrated to accommodate both private and collaborative work areas.

A combination of MDL desks, Panelli screens and Progetto 25 service walls fulfilled the client’s exacting standards. Gregorie noted that the Panelli screens not only subdivided the large space but also offered performance acoustic attenuation.

‘It manages to be fluid and comparatively unregimented,’ he said, ‘but also highly efficient and organised.’

A few miles away, Ergonom also addressed Rio Tinto’s demands for its smaller executive suite in Aldermanbury Square. Working with MoreySmith and using the same product lines as at Paddington Waterside, the product solution adapted itself for the client’s City location.