Insurance office design: the coolest workplaces

Historically, insurance offices were formal, paper-heavy work environments. Reflecting insurers’ risk-averse nature and conversative ethos, insurance workspace was rigidly structured around organisational hierarchy and administrative efficiency. With private rooms for actuaries, underwriters and managers, shared space for clerical staff, cellular office design reinforced notions of professional rank and status. Meanwhile, heavy materials, muted colour palettes and understated reception areas conveyed stability and seriousness to clients.

Over the years, insurance workspace has become more cautiously progressive, pivoting away from stuffy interiors towards more open, flexible and imaginative work environments. In 2025, the insurance broker’s office is typically a hybrid-ready, tech-first space built around talent attraction, collaboration and sustainability. With 25% of the UK insurance workforce set to retire over the next ten years, offices are being reinvigorated to appeal to younger insurers. This shift involves an increased focus on wellness, modularity and fluid team structures, with brand identity and cultural values reflected in more inclusive and engaging design schemes.

Our top 5 insurance office designs

As we know, offices don’t have to be boring. Here, we take a look at some of the coolest and most exciting new offices in the UK insurance sector.

1/ Lancashire Insurance Group

The insurance sector comprises businesses that provide financial protection against risk, transferring potential financial burden from individuals or organisations to insurers. Customers make regular payments – premiums – to the insurer, which cover the cost of unforeseen events such as car accidents or household damage.

In the UK, the top insurance companies include Churchill Insurance, AIG, Legal & General, Axa, Zurich Insurance Group, Vitality and Direct Line. Like finance sector firms, insurance companies tend to opt for plush corporate workspace with high-end design features, finishes and furnishings.

Key project info                                                                                                       

• Size: 40,000 sq ft
• Location: London
• Standout feature: Panoramic views of London, forming a stunning backdrop to meetings and events
• Office designer: MCM

 WRKPLC’s verdict

This bold reimagining of elevated workspace has literally taken Lancashire’s office design to another level. The transformation has enabled the firm to articulate its brand values while embracing new working patterns and preferences.

2/ Aviva

Aviva’s London HQ at EightyFen provides a modern and sustainable work environment for the firm’s clients and employees. A positive, people-oriented space, the new office creates visual connections and transparency, leveraging the building’s light-filled atrium to maximum effect. Bringing Aviva’s teams together into one central area, the workplace is comprised of agile, open-plan spaces, with distinct neighbourhoods organised via a central booking system. A warm, neutral colour palette, timber flooring, carpet and tiles create a welcoming look and feel, while Aviva’s brand identity is referenced throughout.

Key project info                                                                                                       

• Size: 115,000 sq ft
• Location: London
• Standout feature: Central staircase, linking levels and promoting visual transparency
• Office designer: tp bennett

 WRKPLC’s verdict

This is a really lovely office design, whose commitment to creating connections and shaping a positive workplace really shines through. It’s a vibrant and dynamic hub that will delight clients and staff alike, while also delivering on the firm’s ESG ambitions.

3/ Cambiasso Risso

Cambiasso Risso’s new European HQ centres on collaboration and creativity. Drawing on the company’s heritage in maritime insurance broking, the design scheme deploys fluid, organic lines suggestive of water. Bespoke joinery articulates the coastlines of other Cambiasso Risso locations, while the prevailing colours and textures make reference to the ocean. Multiple design cues connect back to the company’s Italian and maritime roots, while modern and sustainable features help to blend past and present. The space also makes the most of natural light and views of London, creating a bright and tranquil working environment for employees.

KKey project info

• Size: 8,000 sq ft
• Location: London
• Standout feature: Maritime design cues, making seamless connections to company heritage and locations
• Office designer: Morgan Lovell

WRKPLC’s verdict

This is a beautifully conceived workspace full of bright and inviting spaces, with a strong conceptual link to the company’s history and heritage. It’s a really elegant space that not only articulates Cambiasso Risso’s brand values, but seeks the very best for the end-user.

3/ Marshmallow

Having outgrown their serviced office space, Marshmallow needed a new London home. Design consultants Oktra guided them to the Featherstone building, an industrial-inspired workspace in the heart of Old Street. The new space consolidates all facilities on a single floorplate, bringing previously segregated departments together and promoting collaboration. A large café breakout space serves as a hub for company-wide meetings and events, while a range of design formats – booths, retreat spaces, open spaces – allow for diverse working styles. Unconventional design finishes and colours, plus abundant biophilia and natural ventilation, make this a unique and sustainable modern workspace.  

Key project info

• Size: 16,500 sq ft
• Location: London
• Standout feature: Multifunctional wellness room, reflecting company commitment to employees
• Office designer: Oktra

 WRKPLC’s verdict

We love the way this design supports Marshmallow’s flexible work ethos, creating a more connected and cohesive workspace. The carefully curated textures and finishes also make for an inviting and tactile work environment, while the signature colours really bring the brand to life.

5/ Dale Underwriting

Having relocated to the sixth floor of 70 St Mary’s Axe in the City of London, Dale Underwriting wanted to create a work environment where people could thrive. Peldon Rose conceived an immersive, modern workspace with a sleek and timeless aesthetic. Dale’s value of ‘All Together’ informed the spatial layout, with a focus on collaboration, engagement and inclusivity. The design also highlights the building’s unique architectural qualities, while making visual references to Dale’s affiliation to Lloyds. Crucially, the firm’s ESG ambitions are realised through an Excellent BREEAM building certification, strengthening their green workplace credentials.

Key project info

• Size: 17,000 sq ft
• Location: London
• Standout feature: Stunning reception area, which makes a powerful first impression
• Office designer: Peldon Rose

 WRKPLC’s verdict

A timeless design that puts people first. We love the natural light and biophilic design features, which create a sense of wellness and calm. The open plan desking also encourages dialogue between individuals and teams, reinforcing the collaborative cultural ethos.

Key trends and considerations when designing offices in the insurance sector

So, what have we learned from these innovative and cool insurance sector offices?

Increasingly, insurance workspace design schemes offer a blend of private and collaborative spaces, supporting diverse work styles and requirements. Enclosed booths and offices combine with agile, open-plan environments to enable quiet, confidential work and collective endeavour.

Many new developments seek to make the most of natural light, often deploying floor-to-ceiling windows to flood office spaces with daylight. This trend aims to enhance employee wellbeing while conveying a sense of transparency and clarity – qualities that promote trust and underpin client relationships.

Sustainability is also central to modern insurance workspace. Many firms are adopting biophilic design, low-carbon strategies and recycled materials to enhance their eco performance. Green building accreditation schemes like BREEAM are becoming increasingly important, while strong EPC ratings reflect commitment in this area.

Meanwhile, warm inviting colour schemes and design features are being embraced to create welcoming environments. Design schemes that reinforce brand identity and company culture are popular too. With a strong emphasis on talent attraction, insurance firms want their work environments to resonate with younger employees, which means we’re seeing lots of dynamic branding, progressive eco-design and stylish finishes.

If you’re looking to revamp your insurance workspace, get in touch with WRKPLC for expert guidance and advice. You can also download our free Office Design Companies Guide.