DEGW

DEGW
Name	DEGW
Type	Architectural and workplace consultancy
Founded	1970s
Founders	Frank Duffy; Peter Murray; Howard Jones
Headquarters	London, United Kingdom
Industry	Architecture; workplace strategy; design consultancy
Products	Office planning; workplace research; consultancy reports

DEGW DEGW was a British-origin workplace design and architectural consultancy known for pioneering research-driven approaches to office planning and workplace strategy. The firm blended insights from architecture, sociology, ergonomics, and organizational behaviour to advise corporations, public bodies, and institutions on office layouts, spatial policy, and change management. DEGW’s practice influenced multinational clients, academic studies, and subsequent consultancies in Europe, North America, and Asia.

History

DEGW emerged in the 1970s amid debates sparked by figures such as Frank Duffy, aligning with movements represented by Team 10, Archigram, Institute of Contemporary Arts, and the Royal Institute of British Architects. Early work referenced precedents like Charles Mackintosh, Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe, Walter Gropius, and concepts discussed at the Congrès International d'Architecture Moderne and during exhibitions at the Victoria and Albert Museum. In the 1980s and 1990s DEGW expanded internationally, engaging clients similar to British Telecom, Unilever, Marks & Spencer, Barclays, and public agencies such as London Borough of Camden and Greater London Council. The consultancy intersected with research from institutions including University College London, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, and London School of Economics. Mergers and acquisitions in the 2000s saw DEGW interact with firms like AECOM, Arup, Foster + Partners, and HOK, while participating in policy forums linked to Cabinet Office reviews and initiatives from the United Nations on workplace standards.

Key Concepts and Practices

DEGW popularized concepts resonant with work by Herbert Simon, Christopher Alexander, Richard Sennett, and Edward T. Hall, translating theories into practical interventions such as activity-based working, flexible zoning, and open-plan gradients. Methodologies drew on ethnographic techniques championed at Manchester Metropolitan University and Goldsmiths, University of London, and quantitative modelling found parallels with research from Carnegie Mellon University and Columbia University. Tools and deliverables referenced ideas from Peter Drucker, Daniel Bell, Alfred Schutz, and metrics used in studies at Harvard Business School and INSEAD. DEGW combined scenario planning used by Royal Dutch Shell with workplace prototyping practices associated with IDEO and Frog Design.

Notable Projects and Case Studies

DEGW’s portfolio included high-profile commissions comparable to schemes for BBC, British Airways, RBS Group, HSBC, Siemens, Philips, Sony, Microsoft, IBM, BT Group, GlaxoSmithKline, and academic campuses like University of Cambridge and University of Oxford. Case studies published and discussed alongside work by Norman Foster, Zaha Hadid, Richard Rogers, Renzo Piano, and Jean Nouvel highlighted innovative use of atria, flexible floors, and integration of IT infrastructure anticipated by developments at CERN and Bell Labs. Projects often referenced standards and guidelines akin to those from British Standards Institution, International Organization for Standardization, and workplace policy frameworks promoted by European Commission initiatives.

Organizational Structure and People

Leadership and design teams at DEGW included practitioners, researchers, and strategists interacting with thinkers like Frank Duffy and contemporaries from practices such as Herman Hertzberger’s studio, RIBA members, and academics from Royal College of Art. Staff roles echoed job titles found at Arup, Atkins, Perkins+Will, NBBJ, and Gensler—combining architects, urbanists, sociologists, and business analysts. Collaborative networks linked DEGW personnel with scholars at University of California, Berkeley, Yale University, Princeton University, and policy-makers from UK Parliament committees and municipal authorities including New York City planning offices and City of London Corporation departments.

Influence on Workplace Design and Research

DEGW influenced workplace literature alongside authors and researchers such as Jane Jacobs, Kevin Lynch, William H. Whyte, Lucy Suchman, Gilles Deleuze, Michel Foucault, and organizational studies appearing in journals of Oxford University Press and Routledge. Its approaches informed office typologies adopted by corporations profiled in Fortune 500 lists and casebooks at Harvard Business School Publishing and MIT Press. Academic courses at Bartlett School of Architecture, Royal College of Art, and business schools like London Business School incorporated DEGW-derived frameworks, while professional bodies such as Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and British Council for Offices referenced its methods.

Criticism and Controversies

DEGW’s advocacy of open-plan layouts, activity-based working, and space-efficiency metrics drew critique from commentators aligned with research by Daniel Kahneman, Amos Tversky, Adam Grant, Eve Ash, and studies published by National Institute for Health and Care Research and World Health Organization. Critics compared outcomes to workplace failures documented in reporting by The Guardian, Financial Times, The New York Times, and academic critiques from University of Sydney and Monash University. Debates engaged unions such as Unite the Union and policy advocates in European Trade Union Institute, raising issues about privacy, wellbeing, and productivity, echoing controversies seen in corporate relocations at Yahoo! and HP Inc..

Category:Architecture firms Category:Workplace design