Cushman & Wakefield, Birmingham

A consolidation of space, but with a variety of smart new features and facilities for Cushman & Wakefield.

Global commercial real estate leaders, Cushman & Wakefield, embarked upon a £1.5m fit out of the 5th floor of 1 Colmore Square in Birmingham, with a view to providing a high-quality modern office space to meet the needs of their business more efficiently. The project was triggered by a lease event which necessitated Cushman & Wakefield finding new office space, allowing the business to consolidate their overall floor area, whilst seeking greater efficiency in the use of space and providing a much higher quality environment for their staff.

Squaredot were appointed as lead designers, embarking on the development of the brief into a fully considered & coordinated design. Moving away from an existing office landscape of little more than a sea of desks and inadequate meeting rooms, the new scheme included a plethora of formal and informal spaces for teams to come together, to connect and to collaborate.

The main theme in shaping the project from the outset was engagement. Engaging with everybody in the local team and engagement with the wider business about what they wanted to achieve as a brand and in terms of inclusion, wellbeing and sustainability. The space was created with the users for the users and has marked a sea change in Cushman & Wakefield’s offering to both staff and clients in the West Midlands region.

Sustainability was also a key consideration, with strategies including the reuse of CAT A items and furniture from their existing office, leading to the project achieving BREEAM Excellent, which was over and above the aspirations of the original brief. Our team at Squaredot went on to create a fresh new look & feel with a palette of natural elements comprising wood, stone and planting that was punctuated with colour & pattern including a unique installation depicting a striking portrayal of local landmarks.

Squaredot ensured that all the needs of both staff and visitors were met, introducing more individual settings for work, height adjustable desks, collaboration spaces, dedicated focus areas and social spaces to create a vibrant, activity-based workplace.

With mindful consideration for wellbeing, acoustics and biophilia, the new fit-out has significantly increased staff satisfaction, enabled greater interaction and become an exemplar workplace for Cushman & Wakefield to be proud of. The impact of the new space has already seen increased revenue from visiting clients and has become a showcase for their vision and ability to deliver excellence.

If the aspiration was to create a sustainable and cost-effective environment to excite the staff and accelerate the employee experience, then this was most certainly achieved.