University Staff Workplace Refurbishment for Birmingham City University
This brief for Birmingham City University was to relocate circa 200 of the University’s Professional Services departments into the city centre, including Marketing department, the International Office, and the Centre for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching, as well as a floor for the Vice Chancellor’s offices (VCO). The project was a complete refurbishment of a 5 storey office building and required a great deal of co-ordination with the M&E consultant, the University’s Estates Department and a number of end user groups, within a tight timescale. Our scope of services included all space planning, all furniture specifications, internal graphics, way finding and interior finishes. Following the detail design stage we were novated to work under GTH Construction who were responsible for the fit out works.
The Challenge
Our Response
The design embraces new ways of working, moving staff from traditional cellular office spaces to an open plan environment with the emphasis on the use of breakout spaces, which was a unique way of designing workplaces pre-COVID.
A circa of 200 staff were successfully relocated across a fully refurbished 5-storey building, unifying disparate departments including the VCO. We have since worked on numurous projects for Birmingham City University over the years.
The Outcome
"The space* studio has been working for the University in the capacity of architects and interior designers since 2003 and continues to work with us to the present day in and on-going relationship. We often get them involved in the trickier projects that need an innovative, design led, yet realistic approach, typically within a very demanding timeframe.
The range of projects they have completed for us include major interior refurbishments of teaching accommodation, fit out work, signage design and implementation, and an OFSTED compliant nursery. This range of projects is testament to their ability, flexibility and attitude to working in partnership with the Estates Department and or other consultants."
