Refurbishment and Restore Issue 20 2020 | Seite 59

THE SOLUTION
The project took a total of four weeks to
complete. We transformed an uninspiring
space into a dynamic open plan workplace.
We built a mezzanine and created a new
kitchen, breakout area and two meeting
rooms with an acoustic folding wall in the
space between. At Active, we know how
important it is to have a space to chill out
and relax in between working, which is why
we have also introduced a ‘no eating at
desks’ policy. This encourages real breaks
from work during lunchtimes. Despite how
tempting it might be to sit and eat while
working, a genuine break from work helps
employees feel refreshed and ready to
continue with the rest of their day after
having the chance to socialise with co-
workers.
Our new space also supports versatile
and flexible working. Everyone has their
preferences when it comes to completing
tasks and we have tried to accommodate
this in the new design. There’s no assigned
seating, so staff can choose to sit at
whichever sit-stand desk they like every day.
Each member of staff has their own locker,
too, so while work related possessions
may not be on the desk they are sitting at
that day, they are never far away. To add
to our adaptable desks, our space has a
high bench team table that is perfect for
collaborative working, an acoustic pod that
can host informal meetings, and a quiet
room to accommodate that extra bit of
concentration.
Not only is our space now open plan, but we
also made the decision to include biophilic
design. Biophilia in the workplace is proven
to reduce stress and improve health and
wellbeing. We have used it strategically
by placing a variety of plants on top of our
cabinets, which also stops clutter from
forming.
The feedback we’ve received from our
people has been incredibly positive. We’ve
had great comments from our clients,
contractors and visitors, too. “Our new
space looks fantastic and supports the
flexible way we work perfectly,” says
Adrian Powell, a director here at Active.
“Creating an agile environment has aided
collaboration within our team and helped
us to put a stop to sedentary working
practices. As a business that designs and
builds workplaces that work for our clients it
was important for us to create a workplace
that any SME could have, as great places to
work aren’t solely for the large corporates. can be tight, so it was important for us to
be innovative with the design, using second
hand furniture and materials to create the
space we wanted, within the budget we
could afford,” Powell adds.
“As an SME, we understand that budgets www.activeworkplacesolutions.co.uk/
The whole refurbishment project has
inspired Active to provide a tailored service
that is Simple, Quick and Affordable (SQA).
The SQA refurbishment package is perfect
for organisations with 30 to 50 people – a
similar size to us.
www.refurbandrestore.co.uk - 59