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consultancy > design > furniture Beachcroft LLP Bristol, 90,000 sq ft

The Brief

Claremont worked closely with Beachcroft and Project

Managers APS on developing the brief for the building,

including making best use of two atria which flood the large

open plan office areas with natural light. In an increasingly

competitive market, it was essential that the legal practice

would have the facilities they required to work efficiently and

effectively. The brief therefore included a library, client suite,

café/ deli bar, informal meeting spaces and an open plan office

space. Printing and reprographic hubs, service pods and

refreshment areas were also required throughout the spaces.

A space allocation strategy was implemented, the operational

space was set at: 80 sq ft per Admin/ Fee Earner; 100 sq ft per

Manager; and 150-200 sq ft per Partner.

Location:

Portwall House, Bristol

Sector:

Legal

Project Size:

Ground Floor 11,862 sq ft

First Floor 39,300 sq ft

Second Floor 38,632 sq ft

Programme:

28 weeks

Beachcroft is now a major occupier at

Portwall House, a £26m Bristol

development, occupying 90,000 sq ft on

the ground, first and second floors.

Claremont Group Interiors was appointed

as Interior Designer to create a workspace

which would not only provide a statement

of identity and openness, but which would

also reflect the company’s corporate and

brand values.

The ‘village green’ in the first

floor atrium. Bright colours

and contemporary furniture

provide a stimulating and

creative space to work.

t: 01925 284 000 w: www.claremontgi.com © 2008

consultancy > design > furniture

Beachcroft LLP Bristol, 90,000 sq ft

Designed using subtly organic shapes and intelligent planting,

the village green is a perfect meeting and break-out space next

to the open plan areas and library. The placement of the key

elements of the design was developed to ensure that as people

pass through the space, interaction between teams would

naturally increase.

The Result

Regional Senior Partner at Beachcroft, Michael Bothamley,

comments: “It was important for us to focus on movement and

openness. The original starting point for our move the building

was to bring people together and move away from the “silo

mentality” of some fee earners. We’ve returned to that

through the development of the project, but also developed

the same principles to allow clients to use the space almost as

if it were their own. “

[Cont.] All lawyers were situated in the open plan space and

the head office functions were located together on the ground

floor with private spaces for use by HR and Finance functions.

The Solution

The concept of linking spaces and bringing people together was

based on Mondrian’s painting ‘Broadway Boogie Woogie’. The

painting is a grid of clear routes and blocks of colour and this

was represented by using strong colours in the floor and wall

finishes. The focal point of the office in the atrium is the ‘village

green’, an open space designed to encourage collaboration

between teams, clients and visitors. From the entrance there is

a clear journey to guide the staff up and through the building to

the village green.

Above Left & Below: Piet Mondrian’s painting

‘Broadway Boogie Woogie’ provides inspiration

for the strategic utilisation of blocks of colour as

a branding and way-finding tool.