Location
Reading, United Kingdom
Size
18,600 sq ft
Services:
Property options appraisal, workplace strategy, space planning, interior design, planning permission, furniture selection and Principal Designer services
Project undertaken whilst at HKS Architects Ltd.
The principle aim of the project was to consolidate staff from several SSE sites into one large ‘supersite’ at the newly built One Forbury Place, Reading. The new working environment needed to be as flexible as possible, adopting principles of agile working to successfully accommodate a task force that exceeded the number of desks available.
Following extensive interviews with management and staff to understand their work behaviours and culture, we delivered six floors with large floor plates that kept internal meeting rooms, comms rooms and tea points close at hand. In addition, we provide a separate floor for a dedicated meeting suite.
The ground floor was to the be hub of the building, with a new coffee bar in the atrium and a large staff restaurant space that could be used to hold informal meetings throughout the day. To further add to the benefits of moving to the new site, a new gym for SSE employees along has been proposed in the basement.