Parmenion

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.

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.

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 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+.

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

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.

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.

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.