Area x Gensler: Designing a space where people, technology and ideas meet
When the UK’s leading workplace interiors exhibition – Workspace Design Show London – returns to the Business Design Centre on 25–26 February 2026, we’ll be there with our partners at Gensler to introduce something special!
This year’s theme, Connected Realities, asks how blended models, immersive technologies and smart environments are reshaping the workplace. Not as places we simply use, but as environments we feel, engage with and belong to. The question resonated with both our teams. So together, we designed a space that brings these ideas to life.
The Design Talks Lounge by Area & Gensler
At the centre of the show, you will find the Design Talks Lounge by Area & Gensler – a calm, immersive environment shaped around the idea of shifting realities.
The design blurs physical and digital boundaries. Cosmic tones melt into soft gradients. Lighting shifts gently to guide attention rather than demand it.
Anchoring the lounge is a circular stage. It places people at the centre – a simple but deliberate move. Amid evolving tools and hybrid models, human connection remains the constant. We wanted visitors to feel that grounding the moment they step in.
The lounge has been delivered with leading suppliers including Milliken, Autex Acoustics, Kvadrat, Maharam, Tarkett, Tryka LED, Cecoceco, OMC Joinery, Specialist Group, and furniture partners Vitra, Lapalma Design, Poliform, Plus Halle, Fritz Hansen, De Vorm and Fredericia Furniture.
It’s a space where materials, lighting and furniture work together in a way you can see, feel and experience first-hand.
Hear from our team at the show
On Wednesday 25 February (16:30–17:15), Charlie Kent, Creative Director at Area, will join the panel discussion: “What makes a property ‘right’? How developers, occupiers and designers align.”
A timely conversation as organisations rethink what right looks like in a world where workplace expectations keep shifting.
The Workspace Design Awards: Smart Workplace of the Year
The new Workspace Design Awards celebrate built projects that genuinely shape how we work, and this year’s shortlist spans outstanding global offices, flexible co-working environments and future-focused design.
We’re especially excited this year because our work with Lendlease on The Turing Building has been shortlisted for Smart Workplace of the Year! Learn more about this project.
The winners will be announced at the Workspace Design Awards Ceremony on Wednesday 25 February (5:30–7:30pm) during the show – an evening that brings the industry together to recognise design excellence.
The Workspace Design Show brings together 5,000+ professionals, 140+ speakers and 500+ innovative products, making it the definitive platform for workplace design trends and insight.
If you’re planning to attend, come and say hello. We’d love to show you around. Get in touch!
