Why office lobbies are turning into places to hang out

The office lobby used to be somewhere you hurried through. Increasingly, it's somewhere to linger. This piece from The Spaces looks at how developers and architects are turning reception halls into public spaces with cafés, food markets, art and even concerts.

In Amsterdam, the huge atrium of Edge Stadium doubles as a concert hall, home to the 80-piece De Philharmonie orchestra, which plays there every Friday evening. Edge's Frank Maas says the best entrances belong to the neighbourhood rather than the tenant. In London, the Leadenhall Building tucks a public space under its office entrance, where food markets and Christmas fairs take place. At Space House in Holborn, a round reception feels relaxed thanks to vintage furniture, plants, low lighting and music played only on vinyl.

Art helps too. At One Leadenhall, designer Brodie Neill created a seven-metre bronze piece that echoes the rooftops around it, while Oslo's new government quarter welcomes visitors into a glass hall featuring a huge Nordic birch artwork. Coming soon are One Exchange Square, with a coffee bar and terrace, and a building in Victoria with a double-height atrium, nine shops and restaurants, and a spiral ramp for cyclists.

The idea is simple and rather lovely: buildings that invite you in rather than keeping you out.

Our summary of a story from The Spaces, published 24 September 2026. Read the original

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