PRICE BAILEY:REFURBISHMENT OF THE WEST END OFFICE
BACKGROUND
Price Bailey is a leading accountancy and business advisory firm, recognised among the top 30 firms in the industry. It offers a wide range of services, including financial management, comprehensive tax solutions, and strategic business support tailored to meet the needs of both individuals and companies. With a team of over 1,000 skilled professionals, the firm operates from strategically located offices in East Anglia and London.
Location: London W1
Company Size: 60 Staff
Project Size: 3,500 Sqft
Sector: Financial
Duration: 5 weeks
PROJECT OVERVIEW
On renewing their New Bond Street lease, Price Bailey wished to change their office environment into a space which could support the firm’s transition to a hybrid working model of working. Their office had originally been used solely by the Tax and Audit departments, with each member of staff being allocated a desk, and the two partners each having a dedicated office. In parallel with their new lease, the partnership had taken the decision to close their London office which supported 100 staff, and replace the office with a small, serviced space. This decision, based upon a successful transition to hybrid working, meant that Price Bailey needed an office design to meet their clients in the City, Westend and East Anglia.
CHALLENGES AND EXPECTATIONS
Price Bailey needed the office environment to seamlessly support hybrid working across the whole of the business. The space required a decorative make over which had to be provided within strict expenditure limits. The office infrastructure was mid to end of life, so we needed to jointly decide where best to allocate the funds available. The space had limited ceiling height, limited natural light, and was wired via a perimeter trunking system as well as a simplistic imperial screeded trunking, running in a grid. Parts for these were no longer available.
RECOMMENDATIONS
We recommended changes to the reception area, making the office more appealing for guests. This included softening the overall appearance and providing four client meeting spaces, two informal and two formal. We added glazing to the front of the primary meeting room, to enable better use of the limited natural light. Our designer took further inspiration from the building architecture, adding wall panelling, wall lights, ceiling pendants and complementary soft furnishings. Consequently, the reception benefitted from a more residential feel. In a hybrid work setting, the space also doubles up as additional meeting space, when clients are not in attendance.
To modernise the open plan area, we replaced all decorative finishes, changed the lighting to LED and removed all large, fixed desking. This was replaced with bench style units to a smaller module, each with the technology to allow any staff member to log in. This design also enabled a slight increase in occupational density. By softening the desking with timber legs and creating a central breakout space with a palaestrae divide, we avoided making the space resemble a call centre. We added lockers for the storage of personal belongings and reduced the client storage provision by removing a rolling storage unit. This paper storage had not been referred to throughout the pandemic, so the client was happy to remove this facility.
In the alcove where the rolling storage had been installed, we designed a booth for 4 people to provide an option for informal meetings. This helped those wishing to use video calls, to conduct these without distraction to others in close proximity. The breakout area was designed to incorporate a high table meeting space, so the user could change their posture during the day. This space can also be used for a quick internal meeting or as an alternative work point for those wishing to visit the office for a few hours to grab a coffee, read an email or attend a meeting. Facilities like this, free the desk space needed for focused work.
PROJECT OUTCOMES
Price Bailey have won awards for investing in their people. We hope that our office design has in part, contributed to this nurturing environment, by creating a motivational place to work, thus enhancing client activity. We believe that good office design encourages staff to return to their offices and feel proud to invite their clients to visit them. The new space, with its updated technology, now offers much greater flexibility for the user to work. Staff can now welcome clients, choosing a formal or informal meeting location, whilst ensuring client confidentiality and providing appropriate business advice and support.
