FMJ.CO.UK THE FISHERIES CASE STUDY
When Hugo Warner (the founder of
JULY 2021 25
catering and hospitality brand Benugo)
launched a purpose-built co-working
space, The Fisheries, near Broadway Market
and London Fields in Hackney at the tail end of
2019, he had no idea of the disruption a global
pandemic was about to wreak. Yet a combination
of a successful background in hospitality and an
innate understanding of what occupiers want
from their o… ice space have helped him ride
the storm and pre-empt a growing demand for
flexible ‘service as a space’ workplaces.
“The Fisheries is the result of an amalgamation of
many things I’ve done in the past,” explains Warner.
“When I le“ Benugo I had to find something else to
do and I’d noticed how well people got treated if
they were working for a corporate player but how
badly if they worked for an interesting little company
but had to work in a nasty little o— ice where the
landlord didn’t care.
“I thought, maybe we could create a space where
smaller companies come together and share the
space to make things more a— ordable? I was also
seeing the way younger people worked, as they’d
come into our bars and restaurants and sit there all
day with a cappuccino. That was the only option if
you didn’t have an o— ice and not much fun.”
The Fisheries is based in London’s
Hackney area, which is home to Warner
and his family and its interiors is
described by Warner as ‘Hackney
Heritage,’ being inspired by
Hackney’s creative and eclectic
reputation. Described initially as
a ‘hotel for workers’ the project,
which took seven years to
complete joins a small Victorian
warehouse to a newly constructed
building on the original site of R.
Green Fisheries - from which the
building derives its name.
Sustainability was a big factor in the
design and resulted in the Fisheries receiving a
BREAM excellent rating for building sustainability.
Says Warner: “The retrofitting of these older
buildings is important and as we had to underpin
the whole of the old building, we created a
basement underneath it to house many of the things
we’d need for environmental reasons. For instance,
rainwater harvest means all our toilets flush using
rainwater and all our plants are watered using
rainwater.
“The building is also well insulated. We use
Photovoltaic PV Panels to provide electricity from
the sun and air source heat pumps and locally
sourced produce for our weekly workers lunch to the
co— ee we provide.”
WORK ENVIRONMENT
The finished site comprises 32 flats above a work
space which is flooded with light and filled with
greenery. There is a wide choice of work spaces,
along with a variety of di— erently styled break out
areas scattered all around the building. There are
two communal kitchens, bathroom and shower
facilities, indoor bike storage, a podcast studio,
a photo studio and an events space called
The Green Room, o— ering a fully equipped
kitchen to host supper clubs, charity
events, members gatherings, training
and presentations.
The workspaces are spread over
three floors with each area layered
to feel like you are walking into a
di— erent room, making it easy for
occupants to find the right space
to suit their mood. Talking to some
of the occupants it’s clear they take
advantage of these options. I spoke
to one occupant who said that a“ er
they’d completed some necessary
admin work they had moved to a
di— erent space to help with their creative
process.
This approach is no accident. Warner’s
background in creating award-winning high street
stores, concessions for public spaces such as The
British Museum, BFI and Edinburgh Castle and some
of the world’s largest and most respected corporate
organisations has taught him quite a few things
about creating a welcoming
space.
He says: “The
workplace has
always been
changing
and the
open plan
o— ice is
fine but
it is still
incredibly
formal and
regimented
and the idea of
sticking in a plant
and funky furniture
isn’t the answer. Here,
the look and feel is because I
like this design, but what makes the Fisheries what it
is – is the culture around what we believe what work
really is.
“My understanding of this business is that it’s not
about the management of facilities, it’s more about
taking care of people. The only purpose of any
facilities is to make you feel good and happy and if
you don’t deliver those things, what’s the point? This
space is not about ping pong and joy slides, it’s more
about creating a hubbub of a space and actually
creating an environment where people want to be
here.”
Occupation is based on desk bookings with a
choice of community or ‘hot desks’ available as a
monthly rolling contract or as a shoal of 10 days.
Dedicated desks are aimed at those looking for
a more permanent workspace and o— er users a
large desk, free meeting rooms and a locker. For
companies which want to base their people in a
team setting, there is a range of customisable o— ice
spaces which can accommodate two to 20 people.
Given that the spaces are fully booked at the
moment, workers do indeed want to be there, and
apart from the early days of the first lockdown,
Warner reports that many occupants preferred
coming to the Fisheries as they feel safe and
comfortable.
My understanding of this
business is that it’s not about the
management of facilities, it’s more
about taking care of people. The only
purpose of any facilities is to make
you feel good and happy and if you
don’t deliver those things,
what’s the point?”