Overview

Once your new space has been identified, it is time to consider how it will be fitted out. Even if it already has partitioning installed, it may still need some adaptation.

If you have not already appointed a design team, you might like to consider retaining ours.

Our professional team includes a Space Planner, a Quantity Surveyor and a Building Surveyor. They can work with an Interior Designer and Furniture Provider of your choice to deliver a solution that matches your budget and timescale.

Timing

We usually recommend that you engage an interior designer before the property search has even begun. The reason for this is that their advice is likely to influence the search criteria we use in the property search process. For example, their analysis of your needs may reveal that a building with a 30 metre deep floorplate is required in order to accommodate the design elements you require. This information could simplify the search process dramatically as relatively few buildings offer what is termed ‘deep plan’ space. This is just one example of how assembling a multi-disciplinary team from the start can help save time and money in the long run.

Brand Identity

An aspect that we believe is often overlooked in the relocation process is brand identity. We believe that gaining a deep understanding of a company’s ethos and how it wants to relate to its staff and customers is vital to creating a productive work environment. It is also a key consideration when ranking different buildings and locations.

The time you and your staff spend in the work environment means it should be considered in more than just functional terms. It should be capable of motivating and even inspiring those working within it. The design therefore needs to communicate the values and aspirations you have as an organisation. A growing number of organisations now seek to benchmark themselves against so called ESG (environmental, social and governance) credentials and this often extends to the buildings they inhabit. This has resulted in occupiers becoming far more discerning in the selection process particularly in relation to factors such as environmental performance standards and the quality of active commuting facilities. The alignment of corporate brand to the choice of workplace is therefore becoming ever more critical.

The work style revolution

In the office sector, the expectations of staff and clients have changed dramatically in recent years. There is now far more emphasis on the quality of design as well as the flexibility of the office layout.

Ten years ago, office design was relatively predictable and bland. In a standard office you would expect to see an area of open plan desking, a boardroom and maybe a couple of smaller meeting rooms, a modest kitchen and a small reception area.

The proliferation of wireless tech, smart phones and tablets combined with far less organisational hierarchy means that many different modes of work are now needed within the office environment. This is commonly referred to as ‘agile working’ or 'activity based working'. It has resulted in an increasingly diverse range of work zones being offered to staff.

This new approach to office design is meant to improve productivity because it allows the work environment to be more responsive to the changing needs that staff have during their working day. Examples of new work zones include:

·      project workstations for multi-disciplinary teams to come together and collaborate

·      acoustically insulated study cubicles for quiet working or making personal phone calls

·      video conferencing pods for Zoom/Teams calls or podcasts

·      “huddle space" for quick, informal one-to-one meetings

·      café style lounges, libraries and breakfast bar "touchdown" spaces for socialising and informal collaboration

·      "blue sky" workshop space equipped with electronic smart boards and/or "post-it walls” for brainstorming