Unlocking value.Case studies.

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Unlocking value.

You’re sitting on idle space. Space that could be working harder for your business.

Most businesses only use 50% of their office space efficiently and the chances are yours is one of them. But you’re not alone. We helped McDonald’s, Spirax Sarco and Bevan Brittan, among others, to find forgotten, under-performing or inefficient space and put it to use.

Those decisions gave these organisations real business gains – creating revenue from sub-letting, adding new facilities into once ‘cramped’ spaces and improving employee wellbeing too.

Property costs are a business’s second largest overhead after staff. So it’s no surprise that following times of economic instability, many businesses are actively seeking ways to reduce their overheads and unlock as much value from their property as possible. So how do you get more of it? The answer lies in understanding how much spaceyou actually need. Not how much you think you need, but how much space you truly need to support your

working practices and business objectives.

Businesses that have shrunk can find themselves with legacy space. Those that have grown quickly may be working in crowded conditions with no means to support their growth and for some organisations, forgotten space is just sitting idle when it could be easing issues elsewhere.

Whether you need our help replanning your office space or you’re in the market for a detailed audit of your needs using EOS workplace consultancy, the advice is the same. Take the time to understand how your business works and what you need from your office environment and you could be well on track.

This ebook shows what’s possible when you take an analytical view of your workspace requirements and how work is done.

With our help, McDonald’s realised it could have a more dynamic working environment while occupying 20% less space. That space was sublet, which paid for its office refurbishment. A cost neutral exercise.

By identifying and unlocking underutilised space at Admin Re’s Hitchin site, we were able to create an on-site café for 800 staff.

We confirmed Bevan Brittan’s suspicions that it had more space than it needed, identifying 8,000 sq ft which could be sublet to provide ongoing revenue for the legal practice and reconfiguring the space and furniture choices too.

Bevan Brittan.Bristol.Claremont identified that the ‘C’ shape of Bevan Brittan’s Bristol office building promoted isolation and suggested that the building, business and the 410 employees would benefit from the development of a cohesive ‘sense of purpose’ across the six storeys.

The brief.

Bevan Brittan wanted to establish how best to utilise its existing office building to make the best use of the space, while providing a productive and efficient working environment. Claremont suggested that a building extension would effectively infill the ‘C’ plate and create a ground floor atrium which would visually link all storeys. This link would be further enhanced by providing open floor plates throughout the building, with circulation space adjacent to the atrium.

Claremont also felt that it was essential to provide a quicker circulation route from one side of the office to the other and between floors to physically and visually link teams and the firm as a whole. To facilitate this plan, Claremont proposed moving the lifts from the perimeter of the building to the centre of the atrium, with glass lifts and flying ‘gantries’ connecting the floors.

The scope.

Location: BristolSector: LegalProject size: 70,000 sq ftValue: £820 kProgramme: 12 weeksWorks: EOS consultancy Interior design Furniture Audio visual

The client suite incorporates a café and meeting suite.

“We are delighted with our new office environment. Within Bevan Brittan we recognised the importance of giving Claremont access to us as an executive team and they spent time capturing the essence of us as an organisation, our operational requirements, culture, vision and brand.”

Stuart Whitfield, CEO,

Bevan Brittan LLP

The result.

The proposal was well received by the client and the architect, for meeting people’s needs and creating a strong architectural feature and building hub.

Furthermore, the scheme meant that the lifts and adjacent circulation areas would not be within the building’s net useable space; advantageous both financially and in terms of liberating prime office space.

Claremont’s scope encompassed design from the initial ‘big picture’ concept, right through to the specification of every fixture, fitting and accessory.

The client suite incorporates a concierge reception, client reception and breakout area, riverside café and meeting suite with 120-seat conference facility, and catering kitchen. In addition, working space was provided for the 410-strong firm with local breakout and refreshment zones.

New space planning principles and workstation standards were adopted for the working floors, with legal teams and support staff clustered around collaborative brasserie height storage units to assist in communication and mentoring. A balance between

local and team storage has been established to ensure quick response to clients, but also file accessibility and traceability for teams.

Bevan Brittan has established a progressive brand and corporate identity and the relocation presented a fantastic opportunity to reinforce this with a striking interior identity.

The brand uses dynamic fractals in a variety of colours to represent the ‘adaptive energy’ which is at the heart of Bevan Brittan’s client-centric approach. In terms of adaptive energy, colour change lighting has been incorporated into the building’s ‘light house’ which creates night time visibility for the building even on the approach in to Bristol.

Intuitive navigation throughout the building is reinforced with a different ‘signature colour’ for each floor taken from the fractal designs.

The Claremont team worked closely with a multi-disciplinary team including project manager, architect, M&E consultant and acoustician. In addition Claremont was responsible for a total furniture specification, procurement, installation and move management package.

“Claremont really helped to tease the brief out of us and also implemented it well. They demonstrated a good understanding of such a complicated building and added value to lift placing sub-lets, reception locations, etc. The lifts as the spine or arteries of the building have worked really well, giving everyone a sense of unity within the building. People can always see something happening and feel very much part of the bigger picture. Having previously occupied two buildings this is a big change but even within each floor plate there is more of a sense of connection as a result of the lift bridge across the space.”

Stuart Whitfield, CEO,

Bevan Brittan LLP

The atrium provides a strong architectural feature and building hub.

Admin Re.Hitchin.Claremont helped Admin Re, part of the Swiss Re Group, to unlock value from under-utilised and forgotten space at its Hitchin site, creating a modern and spacious café for its 800 on-site employees.

The brief.

When Admin Re’s café lease expired, the business needed to find a new way to accommodate a café within its main building. The challenge was to convert 2,700 sq ft of under-utilised space, which was previously home to the post room and cleaning stores, into a bright, open café space that could also provide an informal meeting area at off-peak times.

The scope.

Location: HitchinSector: InsuranceProject size: 2,700 sq ftValue: £320 kProgramme: 9 weeksWorks: Interior design Fit-out Furniture

The spacious design was inspired by the Grade I listed garden wall.

The result.

Claremont provided all aspects of the space planning, interior design, fit-out and furniture solutions for Admin Re to create a modern, airy and spacious café which maximises the available natural light.

The ceiling was stripped back to expose the services and roof lights were added. The new café includes table and seating space for up to 100 staff, a food service counter and a separate kitchen area for the on-site catering team. The Potting Shed café takes its name and design inspiration from the Grade I listed garden wall which leads to the café’s entrance. Rich reds, fresh greens and wooden cladding complete the look.

As a previously forgotten and tired part of the company’s site, it has been transformed into a vibrant environment that gives Admin Re the communal space it needs.

“Claremont managed the job in its entirety, which was particularly important for our small FM team, and they delivered much more than just a café. They’ve created a facility which more accurately reflects our brand and meets the needs of our employees while extracting more value from our existing building stock.”

Lorraine Whitby, Head of Logistics,

Admin Re

This area encourages employees to relax with colourful wall graphics.

Spirax Sarco.Cheltenham.Claremont was appointed to work on a complex project to redesign, rebuild and completely restore the UK Headquarters of Spirax Sarco, the world’s leading provider of steam system solutions. The existing premises needed rationalisation and updating, whilst providing a new contemporary look and feel. The work needed to be carried out in phases to ensure minimal disruption to the firm and its employees.

The brief.

Spirax Sarco’s group headquarters, Charlton House, a Grade II listed Georgian building in Cheltenham, required a range of services, including EOS workplace consultancy, design, space planning, building restoration and fit-out. This encompassed significant structural rebuilding, repairs, and restoration of the Georgian features.

The company also needed a fresh, contemporary and flexible café space that could provide a suitable eating area for staff and at the same time could also be used for future internal presentations and events. Finally, its training centre required a complete internal and external refurbishment and transformation into a world class facility with services that represented Spirax Sarco’s precision engineering capabilities in the marketplace to the company’s staff and clients.

The scope.

Location: CheltenhamSector: EngineeringProject size: 36,000 sq ftValue: £4.2 mWorks: EOS consultancy Interior design Refurbishment Furniture Audio visual Grade II listed

“The design was considered exceptional. The pavilion knits well with the existing buildings, completing a line of them. Inside, the seating at different heights defines space without the use of walls. Opening onto a lawned area, the building is drawn into the landscape.”

Cheltenham Civic Society Awards Panel

High definition audio visual solutions enhance the utility of the boardroom.

The result.

In Charlton House, site and structural surveys were essential to assess the specific areas of the features requiring specialist attention, before liaising with the Local Authority Listed Building Department on the proposed refurbishment. Once approved, Claremont made structural repairs to the original oak beams and restored lath and plaster partitioning, lime plastering, decorative moulded plaster cornicing and the Georgian style joinery details throughout the older part of the building.

An open plan office space was created, incorporating some glazed partitioning, providing light and the feel of openness to the space. Also formed were five new meeting rooms, one with a folding partition to allow the flexibility of creating a larger room as and when required. The central area of this floor was turned into a new staff breakout space.

A new staff restaurant has been built that also functions as a presentation and event facility. The “Summerhouse” building allows seating for up to 150 members of staff. Floor to ceiling glass windows create a light and bright

Bright breakout spaces were installed in the training facility.

space with doors opening onto a furnished veranda overlooking the adjacent landscaped gardens. The space includes a high specification audio visual system for multimedia presentations. The Summerhouse has been recognised with the ‘Well Designed New Building’ award from the Cheltenham Civic Society.

Claremont also created a new training facility, including a welcoming reception, a number of workshop areas, training rooms, breakout spaces and tea points. Audio visual systems were installed in all the meeting and training rooms to enable engaging content-rich training to be delivered.

The company is now able to showcase its precision engineering system technologies and available training services in a productive and cutting edge teaching facility.

Spirax Sarco now has a more collaborative head office space that reflects its standing as a world class systems engineering provider. All work was completed with minimal disruption to the day-to-day work of the business, as the staff remained in occupation during the office refurbishment.

Pace.Bradford.Pace creates world-leading cable, satellite, IPTV and gateway solutions for the broadcast and broadband industries. Spurred by thriving financial results and a booming marketplace, the company acknowledged that plans for continued growth must be reflected in its facilities.

Claremont was appointed to create a new reception, client suite and staff restaurant to encourage meaningful meetings, support the company’s global brand position and reflect the new dynamic energy within the company.

The brief.

Founded by Victorian philanthropist, Sir Titus Salt, as a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in 1851, Salt’s Mill is not only a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but also home to one the world’s leading technology companies, Pace. Working in a market that relies on innovation, forward thinking and quality, the company realised that it needed the space around it to not only convey the right image, but also to support its forward momentum and, hence, decided to embrace a refurbishment project.

Claremont was brought on board to identify a number of key focus areas for redevelopment, including the reception, client areas and café. The brief required making better use of the company’s underutilised space, and creating a more welcoming environment in line with the company’s brand position.

The scope.

Location: BradfordSector: TechnologyProject size: 7,000 sq ftValue: £700 kProgramme: 18 weeksWorks: Interior design Refurbishment Furniture Audio visual Grade II listed

The flexible café not only provides a dining area, but also offers various colourful breakout spaces.

“Our headquarters needed to reflect the direction and energy behind Pace and give our international visitors a feel for the dynamic nature of the company. The refurbishment is far more than a facelift. A key requirement was to create a workplace that encourages interaction between people and fosters innovation. This is about cultural change in our organisation.”

Neil Gaydon, Chief Executive Officer,

Pace

The result.

By analysing Pace’s existing client area, Claremont established that there was insufficient existing space for meetings and client presentations. An underutilised office space was identified adjacent to the reception, which was turned into a new meeting suite. The reception was relocated and redesigned to create a welcoming and impressive space for clients, including a product demonstration area.

A series of flexible meeting rooms were installed with extensive audio visual and multimedia facilities, enabling Pace to communicate effectively with its colleagues, suppliers and clients worldwide.

The new café includes a coffee bar, ‘grab and go’ snack selection and a hot food serving station, complete with a ‘theatre cooking’ area, providing a space for meal demonstrations. An adjoining open plan seating area

was created to accommodate 140 members of staff, as well as further breakout areas and a ‘coffee cave’, with the overall effect of a much more relaxed, informal alternative to the standard corporate canteen.

A semi-enclosed games room, complete with pool table, was introduced into a secluded corner, as well as an informal boardroom appropriate for catered meetings.

Claremont was careful not to change the structure of the Grade II listed building and to reveal, rather than conceal, its unique features. The high ceilings, arched windows and cast iron columns have been retained and the reception space is a fine example of the way in which the project has effectively ‘re-discovered’ the building.

An innovative, welcoming reception space that reflects Pace’s brand.

“We looked at how the space around the building was being used, and how to be more creative with it. The staff restaurant was relocated to a more central position and dramatically transformed so that it encourages employees to congregate, eat good food, and share ideas with each other.

“We have maintained and enhanced the feel of Pace’s Grade II listed home while conveying an image of modernity based on Pace’s contemporary management ideals of interaction, knowledge sharing, relaxation and empowerment.”

Ann Clarke, Joint Managing Director,

Claremont

Leeds Building Society.Leeds.The UK’s 7th largest building society, Leeds Building Society, appointed Claremont as interior designer and principal contractor to undertake the £3.2 million re-design and refurbishment project of the company’s iconic landmark 1930s head office building, The Headrow. With the client in occupation for the phased programme, the project required a high degree of co-ordination and communication.

The brief.

Leeds Building Society wanted to remain in its existing premises, The Headrow, as opposed to relocating to one of the modern developments which dominate the Leeds city skyline.

Following a rigorous selection process, Claremont was brought on board to undertake this redesign and refurbishment project.

The scope.

Location: LeedsSector: FinanceProject size: 45,000 sq ftValue: £3.2 mProgramme: 52 weeksWorks: Interior design Fit-out Refurbishment Furniture Audio visual

“Before we started work, we asked the staff what they wanted. Claremont did a great job of turning everyone’s ideas into a practical, modern and cost-effective result which we can enjoy for years to come.”

Peter Hill, Operations Director,

Leeds Building Society

The reception area provides a sleek, simple and professional first impression for visitors.

The result.

The redevelopment extended across all five floors and included the creation of a new restaurant in the old external lightwell. Located within a conservation area, the building retained its external appearance and character, however Claremont completely refurbished the interior space to provide a modern, vibrant, open plan working environment for the society’s 450+ staff. Claremont introduced breakout areas in challenging spaces in order to encourage communication and team work.

Claremont also relocated the existing entrance of the building on Albion Street and created a completely new entrance on the more prestigious Headrow to reflect the Leeds Building Society’s brand position. Energy-efficient systems, including reactive lighting, new lifts, and integrated air cooling systems as well as biodegradable carpet and ceiling tiles, were used for this project.

The creation of the new entrance required a number of changes in level to the pavement outside and to the interior levels of the disparate spaces within the building.

The existing lightwell, located well above the rear of reception, was also identified as dead space, full of redundant air-conditioning plant. Claremont designed a café at first floor level, complete with circular roof light to allow natural light to flood the space. Imagery of Yorkshire sporting heroes was used to create a strong sense of identity, and the bright colours create a lively ‘buzz’ for staff.

The new entrance and reception has created a sense of presence and the clean aesthetic is in keeping with the contemporary office accommodation which provides the central accommodation for the firm’s branch network, call centre operations and online facilities.

The transformation of the open air service lightwell completes the refurbishment and has created a ‘wow factor’. The area is used for informal meetings, snacks and beverages.

Despite some alterations, the building society’s branch remained open for the duration of the works and disruption was kept to a minimum.

The café area gives a strong sense of identity by displaying imagery of Yorkshire sporting heroes.

“Although the head office has been regularly updated, now is the time for a complete overhaul. We have considered a range of options but feel that staying in our existing location offers the best solution for staff and members. Leeds is very important to us and we believe it is vital that the only major independent financial services organisation with its head office in Leeds remains here. This solution offers the most cost-effective way to improve our infrastructure and enables us to continue to deliver good value-for-money products backed up by excellent service.”

Peter Hill, Operations Director,

Leeds Building Society