Reimagining Spaceworks

SPACE Architect's North East headquarters reopened its doors after undergoing a significant transformation during the summer months. The team have been settling back into their new, ever-changing seats following an innovative refurbishment.

The refurbishment was driven by the realisation that the previous office layout no longer supported the team’s evolving needs or aligned with SPACE’s hybrid working model. Reflecting on this, SPACE CEO Rob Charlton remarked,“Our workspace was no longer fit for purpose.” To illustrate, the traditional fixed desk arrangements underutilised space and limited opportunities for spontaneous collaboration. Recognising the constraints of the existing design, SPACE’s leadership team embarked on a redesign focused on promoting a culture grounded in open communication, flexibility, and innovation.

Director David Coundon, who led the refurbishment, noted, "The redesign of our office (codename: Studio Z) was the final piece of our three-year business strategy 'Rethink 2023' to be delivered and is probably the most physical manifestation of this radical review of our purpose, culture, and shared goals."

The project's genesis was a company-wide open ideas competition. While no single submission emerged as the definitive solution, ultimately, each contributed idea shaped the final scheme. The vast amount of inspiration posed an extra challenge for team leader David, Interior Designer Karen Walker, and Associate Director Grant Bramwell. Together, they had to generate an overarching design concept that would harmonise these ideas while developing a truly agile working environment within budget.

The resulting strategic enhancement meets these goals. The new design welcomes a hot-desking system, giving architects the flexibility to choose their workspace daily. Team members now use laptops equipped with dual monitors, simplifying desks by removing excess equipment such as cables and computer towers. Further reducing clutter, personal lockers have replaced under-desk storage, and we have expanded our library to store product information and samples, avoiding the common practice among architects of hoarding them under their desks. Since streamlining the workspace, we have noticed a positive adoption of a more organised and efficient working environment.

Speaking on the patterns we have seen so far, Rob adds,"Interestingly, we anticipated that people would gravitate towards sitting in the same spots or with their teams, but this hasn't been the case. It’s been great to see how this has boosted cross-team communication."

The office layout now features a variety of spaces, including standing desks, meeting pods, and informal seating arrangements. Touch-down stations and 2-and 4-person meeting rooms visually break up the open space and form a central, collaborative zone. These diverse options accommodate different working styles and support both individual and team preferences, with standing desks proving especially popular.

Taking a more unconventional approach, the studio's meeting rooms cannot be reserved to encourage spontaneous use, with separate bookable meeting rooms for formal requirements. The kitchen has also been refreshed and creatively repurposed, blending new and existing materials. The open-plan layout is welcoming, and the space flows seamlessly after the removal of a partition wall. This means there is now plenty of room for our bake-off participants to gather and enjoy the latest treats together every week.

Interior Designer Karen Walker explained, "The refurbishment offers a new way of working for SPACE Architects. The provision of various sizes and types of space in which to work, including standing and sitting options, combined with a new hot-desking policy, allows users flexibility on where and how they work, encouraging collaboration and connectivity across the teams."

Karen added, “A light-tone finishes palette of soft greys and black detailing, reflective of SPACE’s branding, has been paired with natural plywood and warm accents, resulting in a relaxed, inviting environment.”

At the heart of the redesign is a central presentation space, which serves as a flexible area that can easily transition between mixed functions. Divided and contained by acoustic curtains, the presentation space can seamlessly change from an enclosed group activity to a more open and social workspace. This innovative use of space facilitates and encourages team members to partake in design reviews, presentations, and brainstorming sessions in a creative, collaborative setting now affectionately referred to as “the dancefloor.”

Acoustic and sustainable wall and ceiling treatments are incorporated into the scheme to help with noise reduction and climate management in the open-plan environment—both challenges of today’s open-plan working, further accentuated here with the open atrium on one side of the office. As a Bcorp-certified company, SPACE prioritised sustainable, low-carbon materials. The design team’s selection of eco-friendly products and creative reuse reinforces SPACE’s commitment to sustainability, integrating sensors that report back to a digital twin to monitor space usage, temperature, air quality, and efficiency.

Speaking to the project’s logistics, Grant Bramwell remarked,"Adapting existing buildings always offers up some challenges, and Spaceworks was no different. Following the demolition of the existing ceiling (in what is now the new meeting pod and open crit space), we discovered some structural bracing, which we weren’t previously aware of. This meant quickly changing our approach to the construction of the partition walls. Working with the contractor, we established an efficient way of building the partitions to the underside of the existing structure. We changed the specification of the new ceilings within the meeting rooms to ensure the concept design was realised without compromising on acoustic performance, ceiling heights or the aesthetic of modern, flat ceilings."

Graeme Ash Shopfitters played a pivotal role in delivering the refurbishment on time and to the highest standards of quality. Their expertise and attention to detail were key in bringing the design to life, assuring that the final result met the exacting standards set by SPACE. The successful completion of the project is a testament to the collaborative efforts of all parties involved in achieving this shared vision.

By producing a flexible, community-oriented workspace that reflects SPACE's core values, our new and improved office sets the stage for future innovation and growth. Reflecting on the resulting refurbishment, CEO Rob Charlton said,"With its emphasis on collaboration and creativity, our workspace provides the ideal environment for our team to thrive and for new ideas to flourish. We are confident this innovative office space will add to our existing strong sense of community and belonging. This investment reaffirms our commitment to providing a dynamic work environment that supports our team's development."