The new service-focused members’ club for the creative industries, Bureau, has now expanded into a second building in Design District – a dramatic concrete structure by Architecture 00 that blurs the boundaries between indoors and out.

Conceived for our new world of work, Bureau meets the needs of freelancers, start-ups and larger organisations looking for flexible workspace for remote teams. Bureau takes the old-school template of the members’ club and turns it on its head, making a thoroughly modern workplace proposition for anyone in the creative sector.

The traditional member’s club was a stuffy, exclusively male and monocultural affair – an old boys’ club of wingback chairs, cigar smoke, back-scratches and back-handers. Although things have moved on, modern equivalents still tend towards being elitist, expensive, status-driven and lifestyle-focused, while at the other end of the spectrum, many of today’s membership-driven co-working spaces lean toward bare-bones practicality.

Bureau’s all-day restaurant and bar serves beautiful and delicious snacks and meals. More on this below. Photographs by Joe Howard.
Bureau is different. Led by an all-female team, it takes the benefits of the members’ club as a place where people could relax, be themselves and build their networks, and translates them into a more progressive, accessible and open offering. Rather than being exclusive, Bureau is designed to serve anyone working in the creative sector, and give them access to one of the most affordable workspaces in the capital.

“Members’ clubs must not be the reserve of privileged white men. It is time everyone had assets at their disposal to better their careers and increase their opportunities. Bureau is a long way from these old clubs in that you don’t have to be a part of the ‘old boys network’ to get a foot in the door. Bureau is open to everyone in the creative industries; it’s a place where we encourage anyone who wants to connect to do so. It’s more about what you know than who, and recognising the value that has for your colleagues in the creative industries.”

– Helen Arvanitakis, director, Design District
For many people working in the creative sector, one of the biggest challenges of the last two years has been the loss of community and connection. With networking opportunities limited, sales, exhibition and performance platforms inaccessible to many, and fewer possibilities for professional development, many creatives find themselves needing to build back their businesses and reconnect with their communities. The updated members’-club model of Bureau empowers them to do precisely that, to surround themselves with like-minded creatives and potential collaborators.