29 Rathbone Street
Office
15,000 sq ft
Atomico’s Fitzrovia office is the UK’s first office fit out to achieve net zero status for its construction, verified by UKGBC in late 2021.
Atomico believes in the principles of ‘Conscious Scaling’ – where businesses are conscious about their impact (both positive and negative) on society, the environment, and all stakeholders.
These principles are reflected in their building at 29 Rathbone Street. Designed by architects Bluebottle and housed within The Gaslight – a unique Art Deco building on Rathbone Street – the office has been adapted from a multi-tenanted building into a single occupier office space. Today the former factory has a dining room, coffee bar, meeting rooms and flexible community workspaces that create a working environment which is productive, inclusive and climate friendly.
"We built a workplace that reflects our values"
Sustainability
The office was the UK’S first fit out to achieve net zero status for its construction, verified by UKGBC in late 2021. This meant taking the time to understand the impact of each design decision, to ensure that sustainable choices were prioritised in every design element.
Atomico had a data driven approach to minimising energy consumption both in construction and throughout occupation, modelling the embodied carbon of the entire project.
The re-use of an existing building meant that they avoided the carbon intensity of starting from scratch. The installation of VFR systems provides low carbon heating and cooling across all floors, which are operated by zones. This allows for the systems to be easily adjusted, or turned off in spaces that are unoccupied.
High impact materials, finishes and furniture were chosen for their Circular Economy value, such as solid wood floors, desking made of cabinetry that can be adapted and reused, and acoustic panels that can be reupholstered. Many lighting and furniture pieces were sourced from vintage suppliers. The lighting design automatically adjusts according to daylight, and the heating system optimises heat recovery – which maintains a consistent temperature, rather than intense heating or cooling. The energy used is fully renewable, and their ventilation system has no recirculation of air, designed to deliver in excess of 15 litres of fresh air per person per second (well in excess of current building regulations)
The refurbishment has focused on ranking highly in terms of Occupant Wellbeing and Sustainability (NLA), allowing the design to reduce the whole life energy use of the building and business.
Accreditation / BREEM
The project targeted and achieved Net Zero Carbon construction, in line with the UK Green Building Council’s Net Zero Carbon framework. Construction completed in 2020, and the building was a finalist in 2022’s BCO.
Photos supplied courtesy of Atomico
Sustainability is an increasingly important factor for a multi-campus organisation in Fitzrovia but we can’t do it on our own. To deliver sustainable solutions, we need to work collectively as an area. The Fitzrovia Partnership is making this happen. 
Richard Jackson
Sustainability Director, UCL
