Government Agency

A Government Agency Workspace that Embodies the True Values of the Circular Economy.

As part of their latest refurbishment project, a UK Government non-departmental public body sought to modernise its workspace while aligning with the principles of the circular economy. Working in partnership with universities, research organisations, businesses, charities and the government to foster research and development in the UK, it was vital for this agency to have a workspace which complemented their strategic shift to flexible working, as well as fostering collaboration and efficiency. Squaredot were brought in to improve the agency's existing office layout, which while initially designed for maximum desk utilisation, was now inefficient and hindered collaboration.

Squaredot’s workplace analysis revealed a need for more private and focused spaces across the organisations principal location. Accommodating 2,495 personnel on a one-to-one workstation basis had led to a loss of these spaces, and 80% of staff identified a need for more confidential and focus spaces. Despite an average office occupancy of 49% many areas were underutilised, the space felt overcrowded, and the use of different wings was imbalanced. To embed the principal of “location with a purpose”, the values of circular economy, and the shift towards flexible working into their office spaces, it was clear that changes were necessary.

When invited to provide the Future Workplace Project (FWP) Board with proposals to reconfigure the campus, Squaredot introduced a downsizing strategy with the aim of demonstrating how the campus could be down-sized from four blocks to three, increasing efficiency along the way. It was integral that the down-sized design also encouraged staff to effectively use the spaces available to them in efficient, productive ways. This rationalisation led to losing Block One, meaning a significant reduction of 34% in workstations however we still maintained a comfortable working environment.

At Squaredot we firmly believe that one size does not fit all, and the assignment of workstations in zones varies hugely across different Councils and Government departmental groups. In this case, the redesigned spaces prioritised collaboration and flexibility, encouraging staff to return to the office because they wanted to, and were excited to. The project demonstrated how a circular economy approach can create efficient, sustainable, and employee-friendly workspaces, and complements the agency’s aim to leave a positive imprint through “pushing the frontiers of human knowledge and understanding”, “delivering economic impact”, and “creating social and cultural impact”. Despite downsizing, the impact of the freshly designed, intelligently thought-through spaces resulted in just that, and employees who were delighted to return to the office.