PLP Architecture London studio circular fit-out, British architects office design news, Whitechapel High St building
PLP Architecture London circular fit-out
5 September 2025
Location: The White Chapel Building, 10 Whitechapel High St, London E1 8QS, England, United Kingdom
PLP Architecture unveils new studio featuring pioneering circular fit-out
- Architecture practice’s move to The White Chapel Building was 68% cheaper than traditional fitouts, with 92% of materials reused
- A total of 175.78 tonnes of CO2 was saved by diverting materials
- Replicable model to help other businesses take practical steps toward circularity
Photos © Vigo Jansons
PLP Architecture London Architects Office Circular Fit-out
PLP Architecture has unveiled its new 22,850 sq ft studio in London’s Whitechapel, designed and delivered with a pioneering circular fit-out approach. By prioritising reuse, minimising waste, and designing for longevity, PLP has created a replicable model for circular office design.
PLP’s move to Derwent London’s The White Chapel Building – itself a renovated workplace – was 68% cheaper than a traditional office fit-out of a similar size. At £64/ft², the project demonstrates the viability of creating leading, healthy, and collaborative office spaces at a lower cost and greater sustainability.
The process involved critically evaluating all opportunities for reuse, repurposing, repair, recycling, donation and sales. Only 1% of items from PLP’s old offices were discarded. 59.9% was reused in the new space, 32.4% was given a new life through donation, returns, or selling, and 6.7% was recycled.
By retaining and reusing elements from both their previous office and the new space, PLP achieved a 75.4% reduction in embodied carbon for their new office fit-out – meaning only 24.6% of the impact came from newly sourced materials.
A total of 175.78 tonnes of CO2 was saved by diverting materials – from the CAT A and B fitout from both the new and old office – from landfill. Highlights included terrazzo worktops made from stone samples from PLP’s projects, repurposed wooden chairs, reupholstered sofas, and marble salvaged from a City of London project that was transformed into elegant new tables. Where materials couldn’t be reused, they were sold, donated – such as seating gifted to a local school – or recycled, with Saint-Gobain helping divert almost a tonne of glass from landfill.
“This project demonstrates that circular fit-outs don’t require compromise,” said Lee Polisano, President of PLP Architecture. “By rethinking value and designing with intention, we’ve created a space that reflects our ethos, and set a model others can follow to achieve more with less.”
PLP set out to practise what they preach in their daily work, by providing a test bed for new methodologies and technologies within the circular economy. Collaborations with industry partners, including Method, Maconda and Solus, were critical to applying circular principles to every aspect of the move, from design and construction to transport and waste management.
The fit-out design provided an opportunity for PLP to create a studio that embodies the practice’s core principles – sustainability, collaboration, and design excellence – while also celebrating its diverse portfolio of work. These ideas are expressed through elements such as terrazzo work surfaces embedded with material samples from past projects, and bespoke joinery designed to display drawings, models and a material library drawn from the studio’s history.
This approach opened opportunities for PLP’s design team to explore innovative material reuse and product design. Working with Solus, terrazzo worktops were created from material samples and fragments from past PLP projects, embedding the studio’s architectural legacy directly into the fabric of the new space. Old furniture was upcycled into as-new pieces, and any new items were carefully sourced for their recycled content or use of natural materials.
New items were chosen with circularity in mind, such as new timber cabinetry that was designed for disassembly and future reuse or furniture with high recycled content. The possibilities of new technology were tested through the comprehensive use of material passports for all materials, from PLP’s old and new spaces. This digital tracking enables components to be catalogued and traced through their past, present, and future lifecycles – making it easier to redistribute, resell, or reintegrate items and reduce the need for new production.
“Working with PLP Architecture on their office move was a great example of how circular thinking in the built environment can extend beyond construction sites,” said James Adams, Managing Director at Maconda. “By tracking material reuse and carbon data, we helped bring transparency and impact to what’s often an overlooked part of the industry. It’s been inspiring to work with partners who share our passion for circularity.”
While PLP had the architectural expertise and partnerships to explore circular design in depth, the team believes the core principles are scalable across industries. By seriously considering reuse, refurbishment, and adopting new digital platforms during office moves and fit-outs, businesses in any sector can significantly reduce their environmental footprint and operational costs.
PLP encourages other businesses to take practical steps toward circularity, including:
- Assessing existing materials before defaulting to new purchases, to shift our mentalities from seeing ‘waste’ and instead, ‘opportunity.
- Collaborating with partners at all levels of the value chain, to encourage circular thinking at all stages of move and fit-out.
- Using material passporting to track, share and repurpose resources, extending their lifespan.
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About PLP Architecture
Bringing together people, planet, and technology, PLP Architecture drives innovation in architecture and urban design from our London hub, extending our impact through studios in Tokyo and Singapore.
Our experience in design, research, and strategy is underpinned by our commitment to creating meaningful change in our cities. From creating the world’s greenest building, the Edge in Amsterdam, the tallest tower in the City of London, 22 Bishopsgate, or Park Nova, Singapore’s biophilic luxury residential tower, our work is a testament to the transformative power of visionary architecture.
About Maconda
Maconda is the UK’s leading specialist in Digital Product Passports and building reuse. By capturing carbon, circularity, and reuse data we turn buildings into material banks, from design through to deconstruction.
We delivered the UK’s first fit-out Material Passport pilot at One Nine Elms with Multiplex, and are now leading the first major commercial reuse project outside of London. Our services span tender scoping, passport creation, material exchange, and portfolio-wide reuse strategy. We support clients such as Nuveen, Landsec, Skanska, and The Crown Estate in achieving their sustainability goals while advancing circularity across the built environment.
As founders of the ROMULUS city-scale reuse initiative, and stakeholders in BuildZero, we collaborate with local authorities and universities to shape the future of circular construction across the UK.
About Solus
Since 1995, Solus has led the way in architectural tiles. With headquarters in Birmingham and hubs in London and Manchester, we supply tiles worldwide. As a responsible business, we maintain quality and environmental management systems, certified to international standards. People, product, and planet are at the heart of our ethos as a company, and drive every decision we make and every tile we bring to market.
About Method Ltd.
Method was founded in London in 2002 as a multi-disciplined interior Design, Build & Furniture practice. We create inspired and imaginative commercial environments. Whether designing a new building lobby, a fully collaborative workplace or developing a showroom or retail concept, our goal is to create well designed spaces that people enjoy interacting with. Our ultimate goal is to ensure that we provide our clients with the best possible value for their chosen expenditure.
Photographs © Vigo Jansons
PLP Architecture London circular fit-out in the The White Chapel Building images / information from PLP
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