Public Sector Fit Out

To accurately assess their needs, our strategic consultants worked with the project team to develop a brief. Through engagement sessions, interviews and a series of visioning design workshops, they guided the team to envisage their future workplace.

Mapping user’s journeys identified the type and range of spaces required along with the frequency of use. This highlighted the need for inclusive and accessible spaces and furniture to create a welcoming and productive environment for all.

More meeting rooms and a variety of workspace options were key aims. Learning from previous experience, where large meeting rooms were often occupied by just one person, they needed a range of formal and informal spaces of different sizes.

Ambitious desk to sharing ratios and encouraging the use of different work settings facilitated a reduction in standard desking. This supported the client's goal of fostering a more collaborative space and increasing social interaction.

In addition to open plan areas to bring colleagues together, highly sensitive confidential, secure spaces with good acoustics were also required.

Workshops helped develop the home-from-home look and feel that the client envisaged. Earthy tones provide softness, a connection to the outdoors and subtle nods to brand colours. Elsewhere brighter colours are used strategically in signage and on some furniture items.

With better flow and a ‘front of house’ feel, the reception offers a welcoming arrival space for colleagues and visitors.

And baffled ceilings with a custom criss-cross design, inspired by the brand logo, bring a unique touch to reception and meeting spaces.

Calming blues and nature-inspired, cloud patterned carpets contrast with the bolder, punchier terracotta and moss green used elsewhere. Colour defines high and low sensory zones which provide users with the choice they need to find a comfortable workspace to suit their task. Sensory zones further recognise and accommodate colleagues with different experiences of light and noise sensitivity.

Natural materials on soft furnishings and timber shelving add warmth to the space. And black accents in lighting, corridors and the reception desk connect to the industrial aspect of their work. Adding a bit of fun, meeting room signage is inspired by bus-stops with the names of Scottish Islands.

With waste reduction in mind some FF&E from their previous space, which was found in good condition, was integrated into the design. Newly procured items were selected for longevity, durability and recycled content. And a clever intervention to add demountable sections to booths for M&E access ensures ease of maintenance at a future date.

And with experience of fitting out a similar floorplate in the same building, the design team were able to anticipate any technical challenges. This helped maintain the smooth running of the project and the ability to deal quickly with any issues that arose.

The result - a new workspace that better serves colleagues, encourages interaction and improves efficiency.

With the flexible and versatile space they envisaged, colleagues of this public sector organisation are supported with the range of work settings they were previously lacking. The ‘resimercial’ aesthetic supports well-being and creates the welcoming destination office the client had sought. And the subtle branding reinforces brand identity, allowing for a contemporary yet professional, sophisticated design.