Vivobarefoot – Creating immersive workspaces rooted in nature, from city to countryside.
Vivobarefoot is a regenerative footwear company on a mission to reconnect people with the natural world. APG Architecture was invited to help bring this vision to life through two very different but deeply connected projects: Vivo’s new City Home in London’s Covent Garden and their Nature HQ at Barley Wood in rural Somerset. While distinct in context and scale, both spaces are united by a shared commitment to biophilic design and nature-inspired ways of working.
Nature HQ – Barley Wood, Somerset
Set within a restored Victorian walled kitchen garden, Vivo’s Nature HQ sits on a hillside overlooking the Mendip Hills, surrounded by woodland and rich biodiversity. The site includes a number of existing heritage buildings, which APG has begun to sensitively restore and adapt in alignment with Vivo’s regenerative business values.
Landscaped connections
The first phase of work focused on breathing new life into these historic structures — creating workspace that opens out onto the gardens, improving energy performance across the site, and introducing new timber elements that reference the site’s Victorian character, such as crafted meeting pods and garden-facing studios.
Natural health hub
But Nature HQ is more than just an office. Vivo envisions Barley Wood as a natural health hub — a place to foster wellbeing and inspire deeper connections with the land. APG continues to work closely with Vivo as this vision unfolds, helping to shape a space that nurtures both people and planet.
City Home – Neal Street, London
Above Vivo’s concept retail store in Covent Garden, City Home brings the same regenerative ethos into an urban context. Spread across the upper three floors of a narrow building on Neal Street, the space combines coworking and meeting areas with a new first-floor community venue.
Biophillic workspace
Taking a biophilic approach, APG designed the interiors to reflect natural systems and forest ecologies — from the movement of forest floor to the creative exposed canopy. Each floor offers a distinct type of working environment: quieter, focused spaces on the lower levels transition to more open, collaborative zones above. Throughout, the design weaves in natural references, with elements like bark-clad meeting rooms, window boxes filled with scented plants, preserved foliage hanging overhead, green walls, and abundant indoor planting.
Spaces for all
The result is a dynamic, flexible workspace where team members can choose how and where they work best — from acoustic pods and sit-stand desks to communal kitchen tables, window-facing solo spots, and even a hidden retreat space tucked away for moments of quiet focus.
Retail therapy — but not as you know it.
Vivo Barefoot’s new stores in Neal Street, Covent Garden and Park Street, Bristol reimagine the retail environment as a living, breathing indoor ecosystem — grounded in nature and designed to support human health and wellbeing. In collaboration with APG Architecture and inspired by the science-backed WELL Building Standard, these spaces are more than places to shop. They are urban sanctuaries that deliver the sensory benefits of being in nature — right on the high street.
Natures Canopy
From the moment you step inside, natural systems guide the experience. A canopy of preserved plants welcomes visitors with a subtle botanical scent, replacing sap with natural oils that maintain their form and fragrance. Light is tuned to support circadian rhythms, mimicking daylight to reduce biological stress and align body and mind with natural cycles.
Salvaged timber
Throughout both stores, locally sourced ash timber — salvaged from trees affected by Ash Dieback — brings warmth and tactility. Clay-based paints and natural materials were used to reduce VOCs and off-gassing, improving indoor air quality. Living plants are placed throughout, enhancing not only visual connection to nature but actively purifying the air.
Adaptable spaces
The layout prioritises ease of movement — creating a calm, flowing space for browsing, trying footwear, and even hosting community events after hours. At Neal Street, a filtered water station is available for customers and staff, supporting hydration and natural health.
Sculpted ideas
True to Vivo’s regenerative mission, sustainability is embedded in every detail. One standout feature is the ‘shoe-delier’ — a sculptural light installation co-designed by APG, Trent Contractors, and Vivo’s 3D printing team — marking the ReVivo drop-off point, where worn shoes are returned, recycled, and reimagined rather than sent to landfill.
Ecosystem
Together, these thoughtful design elements form a complete ecosystem — where the experience of nature, wellness, and sustainability are felt as much as they are seen.
