World Mental Health Day 2025: Workplace Wellbeing During Global Uncertainty

Each year, World Mental Health Day invites us to consider how we can support employee wellbeing when we create work spaces for our clients. This year’s theme highlights the importance of ability to protect mental health in times of global instability.

In a constantly changing world, stress has quietly become a part of our daily rhythm. This World Mental Health Day, on 10th October, we’re exploring how you can help your people stay grounded in the workplace when everything else may seem uncertain. Here are four design principles, proven to improve wellbeing, that you can implement in your office today.

1. Prioritise natural light and air quality

Exposure to natural light is one of the simplest, most powerful ways to boost workplace wellbeing. Research shows that access to daylight can improve sleep quality, while good air circulation enhances cognitive performance.

What you can do: Place workstations close to windows where possible, choose light surfaces to maximise brightness and use air-purifying plants and proper ventilation to maintain good air quality.

For one client, a financial firm occupying lower ground floor with limited natural light, Cityspace overcame the design challenge by placing desks by the windows so that employees could take advantage of natural light. By using artificial lighting and warm, light colours on the walls, we were able to mimic sun shadows, creating a space that appears brighter.

Light colours and clever lighting brightens City Asset Management’s reception

2. Create calm through acoustic balance

Noise is one of the biggest daily stressors in modern offices. The right acoustics can dramatically reduce fatigue and overwhelm while working.

What you can do: Install soft furnishings like rugs and acoustic panels to help absorb sound, individual pods for focused work – or even audio technologies.

Take Raymond James, for example, where we installed discreet white noise systems in high-focus areas near social zones, blending background sounds into a single unobtrusive hum. Combined with strategically placed plants as sightline barriers, the space feels quiet and secluded, giving desk occupiers a sense of quiet, calm and focus regardless of any social activity happening in close proximity.

The focus zones on the left are installed with white noise systems to mask noise from the social area outside.

3. Bring nature indoors

Biophilic design isn’t just aesthetically pleasing – humans are hardwired to feel calmer when surrounded by natural material. Studies show that introducing greenery into workspaces can reduce stress and increase creativity.

What you can do: Opt for potted plants or consider a feature green wall.

As part of a 2024 fit out for Raymond James, we redesigned the small 20th-floor terrace at their Ropemaker Street office. To counter its weather-dependent use, we brought the outdoors in with a joinery pergola that appears double the size of the terrace’s width to the human eye. Plants, a tree and natural finishes complete the final continuation to the outside. The result is an indoor garden that feels calm, relaxing and can be used year round.

The indoor terrace at Raymond James, Ropemaker Street

4. Design for connection

Human connection reduces stress. But so does autonomy. The most supportive workplaces give people both. Allowing your employees to choose where to work based on their task or energy is a powerful way of giving them control in a chaotic world.

What you can do: Implement activity-based working principles to allow for designated zones based on the type of work employees are doing: collaborative zones; quiet focus zones; social areas.

We kept this principle in mind when designing Emirates Holidays’ office, where the brief was to prioritise employee wellbeing, creating a designated kitchen breakout area that feels residential for out-of-hours staff.

The kitchen at Emirates Holidays, providing a separate non-work break out area

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Workplace wellbeing is about creating stability and a space that has been designed with you in mind. As uncertainty continues to shape the world around us, the workplaces that will stand out are the ones that put people first.

To learn about how Cityspace can help you incorporate some of these design principles into your office, email us for a no-obligation consultation now, or get in touch via form.

Should You Stay or Go? Five Factors to Consider Before Exercising a Lease Break

With September quarter day nearly upon us, many of our clients are reviewing their occupational strategies against their upcoming lease breaks. Choosing whether to exit or extend your time in your office can impact cost, culture and client experience. The decision often requires careful consideration as to how your office supports your organisation today and in the future. The outcome may be relocating, remaining in your current space or refurbishing to better suit your needs. 

Here are five key factors that should be considered before making your call on the ever-important question: will you stay or will you go? 

1. Changes in Headcount
   Since signing your current lease, your company operations may have changed significantly. You may have adopted agile working patterns or even an office-first approach. Does your current office size align with future changes in headcount? Have new working patterns changed the demand for desk space, meeting facilities or space for informal gatherings? If this is the case, it may be time to consider a new office space or a refurbishment of the current one. 
   

2. Your Location Matters
   Whilst your current location may have initially been the right choice, it’s worth asking whether it still reflects where your business is today. The business district you occupy can influence how clients perceive your brand and whether employees feel proud to work there. Convenience also matters. If your office is difficult to reach or no longer represents the image your company wants to project, it may be holding you back. If this resonates, it may be time to consider a new location. 
   

3. Internal Configuration & Optimising Your Space
   Just as the office location matters so does the internal design configuration. Great designs can communicate your brand values, help in the retention of the best talent and to encourage new client signings. Consider whether your space has the right balance of open plan desking, collaborative work areas, quite spaces and meeting points. Does your space accommodate agile working with ease and have technological and good acoustics. Similarly, do you have appropriate meeting settings for external clients and visitors. Does this area now reflect your brand? If the internal configuration no longer aligns with how your teams need to use the space, it may be worth considering a refurbishment. 
   

4. Rental Values & Cost Efficiency
   Many key commercial business districts have seen in recent years large increases in rental value. The rising costs of rent, service charges can quickly impact your business overheads so to balance cost you may now need a more economic location. Comparing local rental values by postcode can provide clarity on whether your current lease represents good value or if there are smarter options available. If the financial case for remaining in your current office no longer makes sense, a lease break may offer the chance to reassess your costs and investments.
   

5. The Impact of Environmental Sustainability
   Sustainability is now a central value for many businesses and their boards. It is important to consider whether the owners of your building are addressing the needs to make your space more environmentally efficient and increase EPC ratings. If their environmental sustainability agenda does not align with yours, the space may become a risk rather than an asset. Future regulatory changes are also likely to raise minimum standards, so a building that is compliant today may require significant upgrades in the future, with the costs potentially passed through service charges. Understanding these obligations early is critical to avoid unwelcome surprises. 
   

Can We Help You?
Considering all factors mentioned in our guide, Cityspace can help you with office sizing plans, local rental guides, risk assessments and evaluations. We ensure you’re equipped to make the right decision in a timely manner, while mitigating potential risks. If you are weighing up your options for an upcoming lease break, contact us for a no-commitment consultation. Our team will work with you to create an evaluation report to decide whether you will relocate, remain or refurbish. 

Email us at info@cityspacemanagement.co.uk for a commitment-free consultation.

Pump down the volume: how to effectively manage acoustics in the hybrid office

As people have returned to their offices after the pandemic, we've seen a clear shift in working patterns and therefore how the office workspace is now being utilised.

The move to hybrid working means the office now has to support fewer people on site, but at the same time interact with more people working remotely. The office layout has therefore evolved with fewer personal desks and more touchdown spaces for work in teams.

But adapting to hybrid working is much more than simply introducing more soft furnishings and labelling areas as “collaboration zones”. Working patterns have not only changed through more staff working from home for part of the week but also the way people work within the office while they are there.

In this blog, we examine in more detail one particular impact of hybrid working – the issue of office acoustics – and outline a range of solutions to “pump down the volume” and create a more productive working environment.

Reducing noise in open plan areas

The need to restore the acoustic balance in open plan areas has become a significant issue, and one which we have been working closely with our acoustics specialist to put in place solutions both for new fit-outs and retrospectively in existing workspaces. While there is no single solution to solve the issue, we have found that a combination of approaches can be very effective. 

The first solution is to create a clear demarcation between quiet work areas and social hubs within the office. Creating quiet zones in the office by designating banks of desks or introducing enclosed work pods give staff an undisturbed place to concentrate on individual work.

Noise dampening can also help in open plan spaces. Working with our acoustic specialist, we have been helping clients by installing noise-dampening surfaces or noise-cancelling systems, which make background sounds seem quieter by raising the ambient noise level through the introduction of white, pink or brown noise. To find out more about this, please read our earlier blog.

Encouraging meetings, discussions and collaboration to take place in areas designated as social hubs has a natural dampening effect on acoustics. Just like in a cafe or restaurant, the background hubbub of noise becomes less noticeable and doesn't disturb the conversation of those around the table. 

However, while these social hubs work well for in-person conversations, they can still be disruptive for Zoom calls by picking up the background noise, especially for customers or clients who may be wanting to talk in a more private environment. The best way to solve this issue is through the introduction of pods, which can accommodate two or four people and provide a quiet and confidential setting for calls, or use meeting rooms, but these too need to be adapted.

Adapting meeting rooms

Modern meeting rooms also present a challenge when it comes to hybrid working. The preference for sleek design, glass walls and hard surfaces may have worked well in the past for in-person meetings, but now create acoustic issues for Zoom calls. These surfaces intensify echoes and reverberation, not only hindering speech intelligibility for listeners but also distracting speakers as their voice echoes back through the microphone.

The solution for this is to balance the degree to which sound reverberates by looking at the seating layout of the room and installing acoustic tiles to balance the degree to which sound reverberates. No two meeting rooms are the same, as the materials, structure and layout will determine how sound behaves.

Here to help

It is clear in talking to clients, that acoustics is now one of the top issues in creating a productive hybrid office and in order to make the office an attractive place to work.  However, office acoustics is a specialist area and often requires a combination of solutions which are tailored to each specific situation. 

If you are suffering from acoustic problems in your office, don’t suffer in silence - the Cityspace team is here to help. Please contact us on 0207 638 4250 or email info@cityspacemanagement.co.uk.

​Designing the modern boardroom

The way we meet has continued to evolve over time, with the pandemic accelerating the adoption of new ways of working. With many staff now spending a proportion of their time working remotely, meeting spaces now need to adapt in order to make onsite and remote locations work seamlessly in tandem.

The same is true for the largest meeting space in the office – the boardroom – and the work we are doing for Evergreen Marine (UK) Ltd as part of a £2.5 million refurbishment of the ground and first floor of their Euston Road head office is a good example.

As part of this project, we are refurbishing a 90s-style boardroom to the requirements of the 2020s. Out will go the outdated walnut panelling, strip lighting and old AV equipment, to be replaced by a fresh modern design, a wall-to-wall ceiling of light, and state-of-the-art presentation and video conferencing technology.

By doing so, our aim is to create a modern hybrid meeting space for both face-to-face meetings onsite and with participants located remotely anywhere in the world.

On the move

With so many offices lying dormant over the past 18 months, it's easy to overlook the fact that many companies have been active in giving up their existing space and moving to new premises. While the pandemic may have delayed decision-making until firms have a clearer view of how to adapt to a new way of working, for those companies who have impending lease breaks a decision must be made.

At Cityspace, we have seen an increasing number of clients now making the decision to move premises. A recent project we have just completed is for the French cosmetic, skincare and perfume company, Sisley. Originally sited in Portobello Road, Sisley engaged us to fit-out a top floor office space at 33 Foley Street, Fitzrovia.

The existing space had been previously been fitted for meeting rooms and office space and required a complex adaptation to make the project work for our client’s needs. The original structure comprised a transom of double glazed panels, all of which were bespoke structures. The Cityspace team designed and built a new floor plan, utilising the existing glazing sections to create a suite of offices, meeting rooms and workspaces, specifically for Sisley’s requirements.

Thinking ahead

According to Knight Frank, active demand for office space rose in the second quarter of this year, however vacancy rates also rose to 7.8%, which is 1.2% above the long-run average for London. 

While the market may appear quiet, our advice to clients is not to be complacent - while there may be a higher level than normal of space available, it is still very important to think well ahead for your next office move.

Nowadays, we recommend to our clients looking for spaces under 5,000 sq.ft to start their decision-making process at least 6 months before lease expiry. For properties between 5,000-15,000 sq.ft we recommend starting up to one year beforehand and, for bigger properties, an 18 month time frame is recommended in order to provide the widest choice available.

At Cityspace, we provide extensive support to clients in the early stages of identifying and selecting new office premises. 

If you need help identifying your next property, we have extensive knowledge of both the established commercial neighbourhoods and the emerging hotspots, to provide you with the widest range of options. Using our market-leading knowledge bank, we can identify upstream opportunities of people who may be moving, but have not yet told their landlord or agent. In addition to these off-market opportunities, we also have close relationships with property surveyors, who can provide details of current properties available for let or sale. 

To help you select a new building, our Evaluation Report provides a full building appraisal and feasibility plan to ensure that your potential new office space suits your company’s organisational structure and working style, has flexibility for the future, and allows for any envisaged expansion. 

For more information, please click here or contact the Cityspace team on 0207 638 4250 or email info@cityspacemanagement.co.uk.