Conran and Partners references Canada Water’s dock trade history at Dock Shed
The design of the lobby celebrates raw industrial design while creating a warm social hub.
Conran and Partners has curated the interior design and fit-out of a 7-meter-high lobby and café space at Dock Shed, a six-storey office building part of British Land’s transformative regeneration of Canada Water. Positioned opposite the newly established Rafter Walk and overlooking the wetlands of the Old Surrey Docks, the space creates a welcoming environment for office tenants and the wider local community.
The design brief sought a sophisticated balance between elegance and casual comfort, seamlessly fusing elements of dock trade and industrial design. This vision is brought to life through raw, handcrafted details - visible bolts, patina finishes, and hand-buffed tables with unique patterns, all celebrating an intentionally unfinished aesthetic. Layered textures and thoughtfully chosen materials enhance the space's warmth and authenticity, creating an inviting yet dynamic atmosphere.
The design takes cues from the building’s architectural expression - its industrial trusses, gridded structure and dockside heritage - establishing a linear, zoned layout. Rather than imposing divisions, it introduces a variety of layered interventions: soft drapery to balance the space’s generous volume and acoustics, sculptural seating arrangements to encourage different modes of working or resting, and curated zones that shift in mood from open and communal in the central area to intimate and focused on the perimeter.
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About Conran and Partners
Conran and Partners is an internationally renowned architecture and interior design practice, founded by Sir Terence Conran. With studios in London and Hong Kong, Conran and Partners’ portfolio extends around the world and embraces a rich and varied range of cultures, typologies and scales. Conran and Partners delivers award-winning buildings and spaces, that endeavour to be progressive and sustainable. This is achieved through a carefully considered and collaborative design process that addresses the needs and desires of the users, as well as the wider environment. Each project is given its own sense of location and personality through their response to their context and use, manifested by their performance, crafted form, detail and materiality.
About British Land
British Land is a UK commercial property company focused on real estate sectors with the strongest operational fundamentals: London campuses, retail parks, and London urban logistics. We own or manage a portfolio valued at £14.6bn (British Land share: £9.5bn) as at 31 March 2025. Our purpose is to create and manage Places People Prefer – outstanding places that deliver positive outcomes for all our stakeholders on a long term, sustainable basis. We do this by leveraging our best in class platform and proven expertise in development, repositioning and active asset management. We have both a responsibility and an opportunity to manage our business in an environmentally and socially responsible manner. Our approach to sustainability is focused on three pillars: Greener Spaces, Thriving Places and Responsible Choices.