Places for People

The 3DReid approach to Workplace Design

“The impact of workplace design on an organisation cannot be underestimated. Get it wrong and your business will suffer. Get it right and your staff, and shareholders, will sing.”

3DReid has been at the forefront of office and workplace design for over twenty years.

We have designed spaces for major global corporate clients and public sector organisations and through this experience have distilled a simple, yet vital process for ensuring that any new commercial environment performs at every level and boosts performance.

Before we can begin to design, it is important that we understand the drivers for the development or refurbishment. We need to manage change. Companies change, technology changes, the market changes around us, yet people are less adaptable, more resistant to change and need to be engaged and accompanied every step of the way.

The key to successful projects is structuring an approach based upon collaboration and inclusivity. If staff feel engaged and listened too, they will accept the changes more quickly.

And it is not just your staff. Your offices say as much about you as your website. What do your offices say about you?

We have devised a simple 5 point plan that sets out the process of engagement and development that responds to your businesses needs and your staff’s feedback:

- listen- interpret- innovate- inspire- review

The process is fully inclusive and relies upon input from:

- Staff- HR- Facilities Management- IT- Finance- Operations

The following case studies highlight how we have applied this process to 3 major occupier projects. We hope this gives you the necessary insight you need to engage with us further.

IT

HR FD

FM Ops

staff

listen interpret

innovate

inspire

revi

ewWorkplace environments make a powerfulstatement about an organisation. It should

be an embodiment of their corporate values and principles.

THE BRIEF

The drivers for a new headquarters building for The Co-operative Group were:- Change: an ambitious workplace transformation to house 3,500 staff.- Operations: introduce revised working methods including hot-desking/paperless office etc- Aspiration: uphold corporate values of integrity and inclusivity & sustainability- Efficiency: bring disparate business units & cultures together in single space. Reduce required workforce. 2860 workstations for 3500 staff.

Bring 8 business units, housed in 12 different sites into a single, inclusive and highly sustainable city centre office environment. The building must be adaptable to suit future requirements and potential for sub-letting.

The challenges were managaing staff expectations of redundancies and changes to working environment and to plan the decanting process to minimise disruption & cost impact.

ONE ANGEL SQUARE, MANCHESTER: UK’s GREENEST BUILDING “3DReid are not seen as a 3rd party but as an embedded, trusted

partner in an ambitious journey of change.”

LISTEN

Key to the success of this project was the support of the client project leaders in the decisions we needed to make and enforce.

Our design team established ‘Workstream Group’s’ of various representatives from different business groups and departments within the organisation, from the post room to the Chief Executive’s office.

We chaired regular meetings to establish Needs & Wishes and Business Drivers. Actions were captured on a traffic light ‘tracker’ showing visible progress at subsequent meetings.

All activity was fed back to business units with responses captured and flowed back into subsequent meetings.

INTERPRET

The output from the staff engagement was fed into design team meetings. We then used a series of flow diagrams and spatial strategy charts to plot the spaces needed operationally and to highlight where efficiencies could be made.

This provided us with a simple visual tool to explain our thinking to the many stakeholders involved in the project and to ensure operational flexibility was built into the design from day one.

INNOVATE

Using the association with The Co-operative Group’s logo, our concept was a beehive structure, where the various workers returned. Simple design innovations were integrated such as lift cores opening out into the atrium space to reinforce the feeling of unity and transparency.

“The mutual understanding that we developed during this early engagement led to the production

of initial concept designs which very much reflected our ambitions for culture change enabled by a new

head office.

3DReid’s considerable design flare delivered options which stretched our thinking yet left us comfortable

and confident that the outcomes would be a positive step change for the business. The chosen building design delivers financially, aesthetically,

and as a tool for transformation.”

David Pringle, Property Director, The Co-operative Group

The objective of being BREEAM Outstanding required a holistic environmental strategy that combined a series of big wins and additional innovation including building orientation; double skinned facade, huge atrium feeding the building with constant supply of fresh, temperate air and rainwater harvesting, solar shading facade etc.

Whilst built to house a single organisation, the building has been designed to be easily split into different units should the owners wish to sub-let floorspace in future years.

Secure design is a major consideration with so many people using the building and having the banking business as part of the occupiers.

INSPIRE

Benefits and features of our emerging ideas were regularly posted in a gallery space for all to see.

This gave staff and project leaders a clear vision of the project’s development and ensured buy-in. Staff have become the biggest ambassadors for the building, showing great pride in their new workplace.

REVIEW

We built into our fee proposal a 12 month post occupancy evaluation study, to allow us to see which elements of the design solution had contributed the most to the success of the building and allow us to learn from the process even after the building was complete.

This will review the technical performance, economic impact on running costs and softer feedback from staff.

One Angel Square Stats:

500,000 sqft high quality office space

BREEAM Outstanding - highest BREEAM rating awarded: 95.16%

EPC ‘A’ Rated

Building envelope and interior design

3,500 employees

£100m construction value

Completed 2012

ONE ANGEL SQUARE, MANCHESTER: GREENEST BUILDING IN THE WORLD

THE BRIEF

Council offices at all levels are undergoing a radical overhaul, driven by significant staff cuts; resulting efficiency drives and local authority partnering;release of equity through estate rationalisation and the ever tightening environmental performance targets demanded of public building stock.

In association with a local development partner, we won a competition to utilise a council owned surface car park into a new, efficient HQ, creating greater transparency between the Council and its public and introducing additional income streams, whilst knitting back the fabric of the town centre. High level aims included:- create a stunning town centre development- boost the town centre, stimulating future investment- generate jobs in the building and service industries- help improve the quality, efficiency and focus of public services- rationalise Stafford-based council operations- improve energy efficiency and set the standard for climate change action.

TIPPING STREET, STAFFORDSHIRE: BCO REGIONAL AWARD WINNER: CORPORATE WORKPLACE

“A successful piece of architecture. It has the potential to set a precedent in terms of the architectural quality for following projects.”DC CABE

LISTEN

Being procured through competition, we needed to secure this project with big ideas which were then developed into a holistic design approach that encompassed both building structure and full interior design.

Conceived at a time when Central Government had ordered Local Authorities to making significant cuts to their budgets, we were again operating in an environment tempered with fear and confusion.

The building is also the town hall, therefore open to the public and a place where many activities take place. We had to engage not only staff, but also the local residents who were effectively funding the development to ensure they received a facility which met their needs. It also had to aid greater efficiencies in both workplace use and building performance.

INTERPRET

The reception is the main interface between the Council and the public, and was designed and finished to bewelcoming, functional and accessible to all. Linking to the reception area, a variety of spaces have been chosen for the Council to use including large multi- function rooms, a business lounge, wedding & registrarfacility and ad-hoc meeting rooms.

Understanding how the Council functioned was critical to a successful fit-out; the general office areas have been planned, designed and finished through comprehensive consultation with the Council in anopen and dynamic process. By allowing a degree of flexibility within the fit-out, various workstyles have been accommodated whilst retaining future flexibility and controlling cost.

“Tipping Street is the shape of thefuture and it’s looking really

exciting. It’s a gateway toopportunity, setting the pattern for

excellence as an organisation.”

Nick Bell, Chief Executive, Staffordshire County Council

This is the start of a new era for thecounty council. Tipping Street

represents the one-team approach– highly focused, efficient and

high-performing. That’s where weare going together.

Philip Atkins, Leader, Staffordshire County Council

INNOVATE

We worked closely with the agents to determine how the changing nature of public service affected the demands upon space, now and in the future, to ensure flexibility was built into the design to allow for future proofing and adaptability.

The new building accommodates 1500 staff from 135 teams and sets the benchmark as a 21st Century Council office development.

By dividing the site into two buildings we created new public realm and created footfall between a dying high street and new edge of town retail development. It also allowed us to provide ground floor retail and leisure space which further increased the accessibility of the Council and provided a wide choice of amenity for the Council employees.

INSPIRE

The development of the new HQ acted as a catalyst for a new marketing strategy based upon the strap-line of ‘Working better together.’ Aimed at both staff and the public, the campaign drew heavily on the features and benefits of the new building and the services it offers. This was supported with regular newsletters aimed at employees and the public, with engagement of the local press to ensure the positive attributes of the development were promoted.

A webcam was posted on the Council website and intranet site allowing public and staff to monitor the construction of the new building.

REVIEW

We have now been appointed as the ‘design advisors’ to Staffordshire County Council, meaning we are now working to deliver workplace improvements across the County’s many Borough Council Offices.

Tipping Street Stats:

135,000 sqft high quality office space + additional retail & leisure.

BREEAM Excellent

Building envelope and interior design

1,500 employees

£30m construction value

Completed 2011

TIPPING STREET, STAFFORDSHIRE: BCO REGIONAL AWARD WINNER: CORPORATE WORKPLACE

“First impressions are important for anyorganisation, and Tipping Street will

provide a vital gateway to the majority ofcounty council services.”

First Impressions, Staffordshire BC newsletter

THE BRIEF

Preceded by a long-term relationship centred on devising a new modular office product design, our relationship with Laing O’Rourke has been built upon innovation and efficient delivery.

When Laing O’Rourke embarked upon an ambitious programme of business acquisition of specialist sub-contractors, they required the creation of aseries of regional headquarters buildings where these varied businesses could relocate under a single roof and join the Laing O’Rourke brand family.

Our brief was therefore to create business spaces that unified disparate brands, creating unity across the regions, whilst retaining recognition of the individual and specialist nature of the acquired businesses. We provided the interior and fit-out design for 4 regional HQ’s including the main campus at Dartford, for which we had also provided the shell and core designManchester, Birmingham and Glasgow.

LAING O’ROURKE HQ, ADMIRALS PARK, CUSTOMISED OFFICE DESIGN

“The Customised Office Solution sets a new benchmark for delivering headquarters quality buildings in a fraction of the time. It is truly innovative.”

LISTEN

We worked closely with a specialist team set up within Laing O’Rourke to manage this process. As these buildings were bringing together acquired companies at a time of growth for the business, the engagement focused more on operational requirements and communicating through example the benefits of the Customised Office Solution approach.

The business strategy of the company hinged upon the investment in rapid construction techniques and every part of the company and supply chain needed to understand the benefits of this, so elaborate conferencing facilities were required within the regional head offices.

INTERPRET

Each location for the fit-out exercise had a different approach, driven by the layout of the existing buildings being used.

The Manchester HQ had a distinctive wing plan form with a central access, which we exploited to create a strong entrance experience and public space around common areas including meeting rooms and canteens, with the private workplaces located towards the tips,allowing the individuality of the businesses to continue.

The Dartford facility included a large collaboration suite with interactive presentation screen which is used to display collaborative models to large scale construction teams to work together in specific building elements. This was a precursor to the widespread use of BIM design and construction. INNOVATE

We benefitted from designing the base build Dartford campuses in sequence, whilst Laing O’Rourke developed their supply chain, manufacturing facility and

“Bridge Place 3 utilises the latest techniques in Building Information Modelling, allowing us to

design a super-efficient building with inherent building management intelligence.”

Neil Sterling, Associate Director, 3DReid

structural system. We were therefore able to apply the learning into each new site, reducing the complexity of the building design, the construction programme and ultimately the cost.

The final Bridge Place 3 project achieved the brief of designing a 100,000sq ft office building that could be built in 100 days, from start on site.

INSPIRE

The innovation culture within Laing O’Rourke permeated everything and employees buy-in to the design principles and appreciation of the spaces they worked in as exemplars made it essential that they promoted the design.

We collaborated with the client in compiling an inspiring and informative film about the Customised Office Solution approach, which was used in roadshows to all sites and facilities, managed by Senior Directors and championed by Ray O’Rourke as Chief Executive.

REVIEW

The benefit of working on multiple sites, gave us the ability to engage staff post-construction and fit-out and build in their comments into future projects. As a result the composition of the spaces and uses in the final building included many softer spaces including gymnasiums, breakout spaces, cafeterias etc which have further improved staff welfare and performance.

Customised Office Soultion Stats:

Over 500,000sq ft new and refurbished office space across multiple sites.

BREEAM: Designed to Excellent on later schemes

Building envelope and interior design & fit-out

1,000 employees

Over £60m construction value

Completed 2010

LAING O’ROURKE HQ, ADMIRALS PARK, CUSTOMISED OFFICE DESIGN

Possible next steps

We have proposed these case studies on the assumption that with the significant changes brought about by head office moves, clients will need to undertake a thorough engagement process in preparation for revitalising and repositioning their workplace requirements.

Or clients may wish to lightly enhance their environments through refurbishment and improvement of finishes, fixtures and fittings. However it is useful to follow the process, to ensure that any expenditure is appropriate and delivers return on investment.

Through our extensive experience in designing and developing workplace solutions for a wide range of owner-occupiers and tenants in both the private and public sectors, our objective is to provide a work environment that supports the activity undertaken by our clients’ businesses and which offers a more efficient, effective and expressive workplace for staff and visitors.

3DReid’s approach will be to support clients in developing and delivering a level of workplace and organisational change that is appropriate to their business and organisational objectives. Through our collaboration with the staff and key stakeholders, we will seek to identify the opportunities and challenges of a new workplace model that:- Creates a more spatially efficient and effective working environment through a more flexible approach of working.- Takes advantage of new ways of working through a work environment mapped to work style needs of the business.- Links technology to levels of staff mobility- Incorporates new ideas of how to plan and use the workplace across multiple ‘work settings’ and locations.

Establishing Buy-In

Moving away from the established practices of working will require the buy-in from at a strategic leadership level within any organisation. To this end, the key action points are:

- Addressing the ‘challenge of change’ for both the organisation and staff.- Engaging with the business at a strategic level to agree the direction and establish ‘buy-in’ by identifying how the workplace through new ways of working can be a valuable asset for the business.- How can the workplace respond to current and future business challenges and better supporting the desired culture and brand? - Engaging the leadership and staff in the discussion surrounding workplace change to translate current work patterns in to agreed future work styles. - Assessing the appetite for change and identify staff concerns.

Identifying suitable champions in the organisation will be essential for successful implementation. The thinking needs to shift from the workplace as a piece of real estate in to a powerful asset for the business on a number of levels.

In addition, the strategy should integrate other key initiatives, particularly those led by HR, IT, Training, Facilities Management and Corporate Communications. Engaging with these key partners and aligning their work streams is critical to delivering measurable change. It will enable the creation of an integrated workplace strategy that will support the organisation and staff’s changing work patterns.

Understanding the Existing Workplace

In order to develop the best workplace solution, we would need to understand clients’ existing environments to ascertain how much and what types of spaces are required. We would arrange a series of sessions with a variety of stakeholders. Some of the key points for discussion would be:

- How much space is currently used and where are the opportunities for better utilisation and effectiveness to support staff and visitors?- What are the current perceived patterns of work and relationships between departments? - Is there an opportunity for new connections to be established between departments or individuals?- Is the lack of these connections currently due to physical constraints of the building, historical relationships or cultural issues?- How can current work patterns be translated in to future work styles that support business and operational objectives?- What kinds of variations in IT and HR policy will be required to facilitate efficient use and support for staff working in new ways?- What are the challenges that (cultural & practical) that could inhibit a new way of working?- Does the strategic business plan identify any future changes of direction for the organisation?- The workplace strategy needs to be developed to support your Business and Organisational Objectives.Does the strategic business plan identify any future changes of direction for the organisation?- The design of the workplace should reflect not only the your brand and culture but should inherently support the future way of working.

If you would like to discuss your workplace design requirements, please contact Graham Hickson-Smith.