Interview with Tajal Rutherford Bhatt | The Principal Director of tp bennett with 20 Years of Global Experience

My Mum has always been a very creative person and I was surrounded by it from a young age. I grew up in a flower shop which initiated my understanding of the power of colour, composition, and proportions. On a family trip to New York when I was 16, I picked up an interior design magazine and the rest is history!

tp bennett is an independent architectural, design, and planning practice, owned and managed in the UK with a strong international presence. Our expertise spans every aspect of architectural design including planning, strategy, and interiors, and we have enormous resilience to match our passion. We value diversity in every sense: in our workforce, company culture, client base, and projects – and freedom of thought.

We like to think of ourselves as a design democracy. A studio-based practice with multiple skills, everyone has a voice at tp bennett. As agenda-setters in the world of workplace culture, we ensure that our workplace sets standards of well-being and enjoyment. We work in the spirit of collaboration, design excellence, and fun. We are ambitious for you as well as for us.

As a Principal Director, I sit on the board making strategic decisions for the practice. I run a busy studio of designers working alongside our clients to deliver bespoke environments that respond to and challenge briefs, offering insightful and purposeful leadership in the creation of sustainable environments.

For me, it’s not just about what it looks like, it’s how it makes you feel. I love the journey of designing something, it’s extremely personal. Design has to respond to a need, evoke an aesthetic response, and be durable or sustainable.

Something unexpected, clever, and leaves you feeling intrigued.

Well-considered design creates an experience that engages you.

Marsh McLennan (MMC) set out to create a unified workspace that brings their three constituent business streams together. Additionally, the endeavour sought to breathe new life into a two-decade-old building, designed by the renowned Lord Norman Foster. The refurbishment creates an identifiable brand for MMC providing an agile working environment with a focus on its people and clients.

The result is a beautifully considered design narrative and flexible experience that can respond to both individual and differing business needs. With a focus on health, well-being, and a connection to nature, MMC promotes an inclusive culture that aims to bring out the best in its people.

The overarching design concept, the MMC Eco System, places health and well-being at the core of the spaces. Destination spaces have been strategically positioned across the floors creating smaller enclaves, fostering well-being with great access to natural daylight and biophilia. Their dispersion across the two buildings encourages movement and connection between the various business units, promoting a dynamic and connected environment.

The design encourages a cultural shift towards collaboration, fostering a dynamic and adaptable environment that aligns with the evolving needs of each business unit.

Absolutely! London is such a multicultural city that is continuously growing and evolving, it’s a source of daily inspiration for me.

Thank you! It’s always great to win an award and be recognised for a successful project. The project has been pivotal in my own career so personally, I’m super proud of it. As a practice, it further cements our status as a leader in commercial office interior design.

The overarching goal for MMC was not only to harmonise values and aspirations but also to cultivate a shared design language and experience that authentically mirrors their brand and culture as well as supporting diversity and inclusion. Additionally, the endeavour sought to breathe new life into a two-decade-old building, designed by the renowned Sir Norman Foster.

MMC’s new space has a strong focus on health, well-being, and a connection to nature. The new space promotes an inclusive culture that aims to bring out the best in its people, visitors, and clients.

The design needed to encourage a cultural shift towards collaboration, fostering a dynamic and adaptable environment that aligned with the evolving needs of each business unit.

Revitalising a 20-year-old building involved a thoughtful design strategy. Modern materials were used to refresh the aesthetic and emphasise natural light as well as opening up the floor plates to maximise visual connectivity.

The employee experience in general needed to be enhanced. We did this by increasing the amenity offer, particularly by designing a completely flexible restaurant space that caters for informal meetings and can accommodate large town hall gatherings. Augmenting this with an improved catering offer contributes to a dynamic and engaging environment, helping to create a sense of community amongst MMC.

Winning this award is not only a professional achievement for everyone on the project team but also a personal achievement for me. It is so great to see the hard work and dedication we put into this project recognised and spurs me on to continue giving every project 110%!

I get to work with great people, It’s always evolving, and I get to design spaces to help people thrive.

True to the project team’s vision, we have created a space fit for every purpose for both clients and colleagues. Marsh McLennan is an inspiring space, that offers flexibility, fosters collaboration and creativity, and truly represents MMC as a company in front of their clients.

Design will be increasingly digital and I think it will become more sensory and immersive with the support of new technologies. As designers, it will be important for us to harness this and connect it to real-life human experience.

The climate crisis will continue to evolve how we design, with circularity and sustainability at the forefront of every design.

Don’t hold back, just go for it!

Travel, explore, and listen. The best source of information and learning is getting absorbed in the environment around you. It is also really important to get out there and connect with and learn from people from across the industry.

It has to be my mum! She always pushed forward when out of her comfort zone and became very successful because of it!

Hard work pays off and treat others how you would like to be treated. Take people on the journey with you.