Achieving cultural change

Parmenion

Location Bristol
Client Parmenion
Awards Shortlisted BCO 2020 Fit Out of Workplace / Shortlisted Mixology 2020 Workplace over 30,000sqft / Winner BPA 2019 Commercial Interior Designer / Shortlisted Insider South West Property Commercial Workspace of the Year 2019

A brief history

This technology and investment business had grown from an office of 40 people to the point where they needed a space to accommodate 350 staff. They chose the landmark 1,200 sqm Grade A Aurora building in Finzels Reach, Bristol.

Vision

This project was always about more than the building shell. The vision was to deliver a flexible new environment with the focus on staff wellbeing: a living example of how design can improve quality of life at work.

Making it happen

AWW has delivered an agile workplace which reflects Parmenion’s identity. The scheme is anchored around a central concept of movement and light, which strikingly juxtaposes materials and directional planes.

User engagement strategies were key: this enabled us to fully interrogate the brief and to challenge the constraints of the existing building.

Sustainability

Sustainability and the choice of materials were of paramount importance. Materials and finishes were sustainably sourced with specific attention paid to the recyclable content and their ability to be recycled: the ‘cradle to cradle’ model. Our design targets BREEAM A+.

User experience

The new space has had a positive impact on employee engagement, with staff using all the settings for socialising as much as for working.

By centralising storage, we allow staff the flexibility to sit anywhere, depending on the task

Wellbeing

Biophilic design permeates our fit out, with the integration of plants throughout. Seating areas are located so they enjoy equal aspect and daylight levels as much as possible.

This cohesive workplace enables the fast-growing workforce to integrate and mix. Key services are distributed between the floors, encouraging staff to move between the spaces.

Future-proofing

Our design allows for future growth. Certain areas of breakout space can expand to enable the floorplate occupancies to grow from a 1:10 ratio to 1:8.

Overcoming challenges

This project had a particularly ambitious time frame of just seven months.

One of the biggest cultural challenges was the introduction of working over two floors. Managing expectations and understanding the sensitivity of this change was a delicate process. We helped to facilitate this through continuous stakeholder engagement.


The building itself also presented challenges, with a double height atrium space supported by large downstand beams to each floor. We overcame this with innovative ceiling details to create a considered and practical solution which is a design feature in its own right.

Main Eatery

Key services such as the main eatery, town hall, client meeting suites and rooms are distributed between the floors, encouraging staff to move between the spaces.

Personalised details

Throughout the space we injected small details, personalised artwork and interactive graphics to preserve the identity of the creative Bristol start up.

A go-to business which delivers beautiful projects with strong aesthetics whilst being sustainable and environmentally friendly."

Bristol Property Awards Judging Panel 2019

Client reception area

The design of this area strikingly juxtaposes materials and directional planes to encourage natural movement through the space and to frame views out to the surrounding environment.

AWW have made a significant contribution to the positive outcome of this project and their commitment and support has been integral to its success. The look and feel of the fit out has exceeded our expectations and we are excited about the positive impact it will undoubtedly have on our employee wellbeing and engagement. AWW worked really closely with us to understand the brief and gave us the confidence to push forward with a design which has resulted in a fresh, forward thinking and contemporary office space that we are truly delighted with."

Sharon Stevens-Villiers, Parmenion