The Portman Estate Head Office: Heritage workspace transformation for people and planet

13 May 2026
Interiors Focus Stage
Interiors Focus

The Portman Estate’s relocation of its head office to One Great Cumberland Place presented an exciting opportunity to reimagine the workplace. The project aims to set a benchmark for sustainable commercial interiors across its 110-acre Marylebone estate.

The retrofit of the 8,400 sq ft office prioritises collaboration, wellbeing, and exemplary environmental performance while working within an existing base build. Sustainability informed every design decision including:

  • Low-carbon and high-recycled-content materials
  • Circular economy principles resulting in reuse of existing services, lighting, and finishes
  • Inventive reuse of salvaged materials
  • Specification of furniture to meet rigorous environmental, repair, and replacement criteria

Embodied carbon was measured and recorded to support The Portman Estate’s One Planet Action Plan, achieving carbon neutrality with minimal offsetting and setting a replicable benchmark for future workplace retrofits.

Sponsoed by GORT SCOTT at FOOTPRINT+ stage

Chairperson
Joe MacMahon
Joe MacMahon, Associate - Gort Scott
Speakers
Michael Jones
Michael Jones, Project Director - The Portman Estate
Jess Daly
Jess Daly, Principal Consultant - Bioregional
Megan Thacker-Brooks
Megan Thacker-Brooks, Architect - Gort Scott