Meridian Interiors is an office fit-out and refurbishment company with more than 20 years of experience in commercial interior refurbishment all over the country. In this article, we take a look at some of our favourite office refurbishment and fit-outs in Cambridgeshire and provide an insight into how we helped businesses transform their workplaces on time, and on budget.
“A key feature on this project at Cambridge based pharmaceutical company, Rxcelerate, was the use of switchable glass on the meeting room partitioning, which is a fantastic way to create privacy when needed and help with the transmission of light throughout an office, during other times. At Meridian, we like to come up with solutions to make our clients working environments as user friendly as possible. This glass is a great example of this.”
Paul Dawson, Managing Director
This Cambridgeshire office refurbishment focused on an office design to incorporate feature flooring, breakout spaces and a glass partition to make the most of the space. The refurbishment project included feature lighting, a new tea point facility, and alterations to electrics and lighting. The office glass partitions featured both solid and glazed partitions, creating dynamic, co-working spaces offering privacy and collaboration where appropriate.
This Cambridgeshire office refurbishment and fit out focused on refurbishing an existing library and meeting area into a more usable, relaxing collaborative space. We worked closely with the client to pull together a breakout area that was welcoming and practical, so it would be actively used by employees. The project included installing new ceilings, joinery, lighting installation, lighting and flooring. With a dedicated colour scheme throughout and new office furniture, the project in its entirety took six weeks to complete.
To discover more about our commercial interior refurbishment services, click here. Get inspired with our case studies, or get in touch to start your journey today.
“Working with the Evergreen Agency has been a lot of fun as they are a forward-thinking Bicester based marketing company, who take a lot of pride in their work and working environment. This has been reflected in the office refurbishment they commissioned Meridian Interiors to carry out, over two phases. The addition of biophilia on a couple of their walls acts as a key feature of the design and works well with the company’s branding.”
Sarah Glover, Office Manager
This office refurbishment in Oxfordshire saw Meridian refurbish an existing office space in keeping with the business’ design ideas and vision. Focusing on a theme for all things green, it involved installing a new meeting room as well as upgrading the tea-making area to a more modern, well-functional layout.
“Point of Difference offer co-working spaces across Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, creating interesting places for people to work alongside each other. Working with Andy Bedwell from Point of Difference at both his Banbury and Bicester workspaces has been a pleasure. As well as working well together, we consistently deliver impressive office spaces, using our expertise and quality craftsmanship.”
Paul Dawson, Managing Director
With the brief focusing on an entire office fit out and refurbishment in Oxfordshire – based company Point of Difference main offices. The Oxfordshire office building was refurbished over three floors to bring it up to modern-day standard with design and facilities to match. The Oxfordshire refurb included installing new heating systems and gas pipe relocation, office partitioning, internal and external decoration, new lighting systems and air conditioning. The refurbishment was managed over a time period of 14 weeks and saw us incorporate modern trends that were in keeping with the traditional architecture and heritage of the building.
“Working at Oxfordshire based Purdicom is always interesting, as their offices are located within a converted barn. We enjoyed creating a modern space to reflect the company’s technological services but that also complimented the traditional surroundings and building’s features. Our fit-out specialists worked really hard to ensure this transformation was a success and our client was happy with their new working environment.”
Leon Peters, Project Manager
This office refurbishment project in Oxfordshire focused on renovating office space within a converted barn. Ensuring the main features of the barn were considered in the redesign, our fit out included a new glass sliding door and separate manager’s office. Meridian Interiors worked to minimise any disruption to office workers and finished the refurbishment, complete with new office furniture and 18 desks, in 4 weeks.
This office design and refurbishment saw Meridian Interiors overhaul an existing warehouse space and transform it into a fully functioning open plan office in 12 weeks. The project brief included kitchen areas, acoustic insulation, space planning and design, and astute project management to ensure the entire Oxfordshire office refurb was finished on time and on budget. The office refurbishment also included refiguring the electrics for optimal use, with sound partitioning for the cellular office spaces.
This office fit-out in Bicester was completed over a 9 week period and saw us extend a hot-desking coworking space in Bicester. With modern and contemporary colours we worked closely with the client to create a stylish, welcoming space. With cellular partitions, lighting enhancements and full redecoration we were able to create a stunning interior office space to be used by various companies, linking to areas together seamlessly.
To discover more about our commercial office refurbishment services, click here. Explore our case studies for more information or get in touch with our team to find out how we can help you.
In this article, we discuss some of our most recent office refurbishment projects in the Bedfordshire area. For those looking for Bedfordshire office refurbishment, Meridian Interiors offer a range of office design, fit-out and commercial office refurbishment services. Explore our most recent case studies below to find out how we helped to transform offices and bring ideas to life through a bespoke and professional service.
“I thoroughly enjoyed project managing the office refurbishment for Bedford based company, Glenn Group. Flooring played a key part in this project, together with a strong colour scheme, which can be seen throughout. Adding interest to the walls with graphics was a great way to display our client’s values and mission and I am pleased to have been a part of this transformation.”
Leon Peters, Project Manager
Our first Bedfordshire office refurbishment focuses on Glenn Group in Bedford, which focused on an office redesign and fit-out. We worked closely with Glenn Group to bring their vision to life, with a complete office refurbishment and office furniture installation. With work including redecoration, new flooring design, breakout areas and corporate signature, the end result was an impactful, exciting office space that reflected the brand and offered an exciting work environment for employees.
This office refurbishment project saw Meridian Interiors transform the CILEX HQ while the offices were still in operation. With project management working in phases to reduce disruption to business continuity, the office refurb focused on refreshing the look and feel of the offices. With office partitioning, lighting, decorating and new following added, the office refurbishment also included new office furniture installation. Project management successfully refurbished the Bedfordshire offices in 20 weeks, with minimal disruption for employees throughout.
To discover more about our office fit-out and refurbishment services, click here. Explore our case studies or contact the team to find out how we can help you.
As a leading office refurbishment company, we decided to round up our favourite projects in Buckinghamshire. Supplying offices up and down the country with the latest in office design and refurbishment, we offer high-end office refurbishments to renovate and transform workspaces and these are just a few of our favourites to show you how we bring offices to life.
“As an independent charity who care for parkland and greenspace across Milton Keynes, we were honoured to be selected to carry out the atrium refurbishment project at the Parks Trust offices in Buckinghamshire. The project was especially interesting, due to the bespoke timberwork and natural colour scheme, which was chosen to fit in with the Park Trust’s ethos.”
Paul Dawson, Managing Director
This commercial office refurbishment in Buckinghamshire focused on transforming the office space at The Parks Trust. The Parks Trust are a charitable organisation and were looking to create and design a new collaborative workspace using the latest office design techniques. Our office refurbishment project included collaborative areas for employees to come together for ideation and a break from their desks. Featuring bespoke lighting and a relaxing environment for employees, this is one of our favourite office refurbs in Buckinghamshire!
“Graymatter is a prominent marketing agency in Milton Keynes, so we were very pleased to work with them for a second time at their Buckinghamshire office. Working within the scope of their updated brand, we enjoyed working with such a vibrant colour palette, and incorporating some quirky elements like the yellow door and faux fireplace.”
Paul Dawson, Managing Director
This particular Buckinghamshire office fit out and refurbishment saw us return to a previous client to help bring their ideas to life. With an updated brand, the creative marketing agency Graymatter needed an updated office space with functional, multipurpose workspaces. Our refurbishment and fit out included upgrading meeting areas for employees and setting out new break out areas for office workers. The refurbishment also included relaxed, functional furniture for a new and improved office space offering functionality and comfort throughout the day.
Our third and final favourite office refurb in Buckinghamshire features UCC Coffee in Milton Keynes. This office refurbishment involved an entire refurb of the UK headquarters in Milton Keynes, and took palace over a 52 week period. The office refurbishment included fitting out new offices, showrooms, training rooms, restaurants, coffee shops and workshop spaces. The Buckingham office refurb also included complete furniture installation, so the entire HQ was in keeping with the new redesign. We also incorporated mezzanine spaces and W/Cs into our office refurbishment, with a meticulous project plan to ensure that work disruption was kept to a minimum throughout the refurbishment.
To discover more about our office refurbishment services, click here. For more ideas and inspiration, read our case studies or feel free to contact us to learn more about our services.
Meridian Interiors are proud to be accredited members of FIS, the trade body of the £10 billion fit out, finishes and interiors sector.
FIS represents specialists in all aspects of the interior fit-out and finishes sector. As a vertically integrated organisation, FIS works with members from across the sector supply chain support best practice knowledge exchange, drive technical competence and support quality, through the FIS Product Process People Quality Framework.
FIS is a not-for-profit community, built around a strict code of conduct – members are subjected to regular ongoing vetting.
At Meridian Interiors, as specialists in commercial fit out and office refurbishment, we are advocates of producing high quality office installations, and are proud to be members of this dynamic and proactive community that is focused on delivering a better construction experience for all involved.
Paul Dawson, Managing Director, said: “FIS is a highly-regarded, well-respected organisation at the forefront of the sector that does much to uphold values and drive quality in our sector. We are delighted to be recognised as member of an organisation which is an essential component of the modern-day construction industry.”
Meridian exist to make our clients’ working life comfortable, achieving this by listening to and understanding the human side of their business. Teaming up with the FIS has cemented our commitment to our clients to uphold quality throughout the process, from design and space planning, through the quality in materials and workmanship, to the project management and consultation throughout the project.
Please contact us if you would like more information or guidance on your next project.
Read our office refurbishment checklist from the experts at Meridian Interiors.
Investing in your workspace is a positive way to update working practices within your organisation, boost staff morale and express your company’s brand. This guide walks you through the path involved in the office fit-out and refurbishment process, so you are well informed for your next office refit.
The Office Refurbishment Process
Deciding when to carry out an office refurb is a good place to start because it is a very involved process, so you need to have the time and dedication to commit to it. Utilising the skills of your own staff (IT, Facilities Management, Office Managers), coupled with an experienced office refurbishment and fit-out company, like Meridian Interiors can help the process run smoothly, ensuring important elements are not missed.
Stages of Office Refurbishment
There are a series of stages to work through to design, plan and implement a new office refurbishment. Even though the size, scale and cost can vary dramatically between projects, the process remains very similar.
Consultation
When you decide to carry out an office refurb, the first stage is referred to as the consultation stage. It is at this stage that initial conversations are had to establish what the goals are for the build, and how that will influence the design and planning stage.
At Meridian Interiors we focus on four fundamental concepts: Listening, Understanding, Creating and Delivering.
During the ‘Consultation phase’, office refurbishment companies will strive to take your vision and turn it into a reality. A workplace evaluation is paramount at this stage, where key people from your organisation set out the project parameters and review your main project objectives. Whether it be owners, managers of SMEs, facilities managers, maintenance teams, IT, finance, sales and marketing or operations managers, this is the first key step to ‘listening’ to your needs.
Design and development
Following the consultation and having defined your needs, the design and development of the project will need to be established using the framework below:
Headline Project Objectives
Team synergy in your organisation
Employee Habits & Wellbeing
Your Brand Themes
How the current space is utilised & performs
Requirements for expansion/future proofing
Analysis of these factors can then be used to determine what options and solutions your company can use to create the best possible working environment for stakeholders.
Planning
During the planning phase, it is important to understand how the budget can be used to achieve the desired result.
As planning a project is very involved, using both 2D and 3D drawings, can help shape the interior refurbishment and ensure all parties are on the same wavelength, after all a picture speaks a thousand words!
Build
Once the design and plans have been agreed, ‘creating’ and ‘delivering’ are the next steps.
Have a programme of works in place with your chosen office refurbishment company will help the project to stay on track. Regular meetings between stakeholders are important to ensure the project is built accordingly to plans and change management can be implemented, where necessary.
The final project needs to run according to the planned budget and therefore having a project manager, to control costs and lead times, is imperative to achieving an office refurbishment that fulfils the brief.
Office Refurbishment Solutions and Options
For an office interior refurbishment to be successful, changes and improvements to the areas discussed below are paramount. Office refurbishments can vary in scale, so you may be looking to change only one or two of these items, to establish a better working environment. Or you may be looking to make significant changes and incorporate all these items within your new scheme.
Suspended Ceilings
Many offices have suspended ceilings because they are a practical way to hide ductwork, cabling and pipework.
A suspended ceiling is made up of a grid system, which is suspended on wires, with ceiling tiles and light fittings fitted within the frame. A lighting design is recommended to ensure the correct lux level is achieved throughout the space.
Suspended ceilings make maintenance for air conditioning, power and lighting accessible and are therefore a practical addition to an office.
Lighting
The infrastructure behind a great office space needs to be well thought out and planned as part of the design process. Power, lighting, plumbing and HVAC systems are the elements of a design that make the aesthetics work.
As described in HSE’s Lighting at Work report, poor lighting at work can represent a significant cost to business in the form of:
Time off work because of accidents and injuries
Increased absenteeism
Reduced staff efficiency and productivity
Getting it right is therefore paramount for the health, well-being and productivity of employees.
Having a lighting design created for your specific layout is a useful design tool, both to ensure the correct aesthetics of the refurbishment and the practicalities of having the correct lighting in the right areas. For example, you may need specific task lighting for carrying out detailed work, more relaxed lighting in a breakout area or feature lighting to make an impact in a reception area.
Decorating
Decorating your workspace is an easy way of refreshing the space, without the need for a big budget. There is a seemingly endless range of wall coverings, paint colours and wall tiles. Using Meridian’s expertise in commercial office design, can help you to realise your ideas. It may be as simple as bringing in the colours from your company’s brand or selecting a style and colour you like!
As part of a larger project, decoration can form an integral element of the overall aesthetics of the office interior design and with a little creativity and inspiration, you can create a ‘wow’ factor or point of difference, setting your business apart from the competition.
Partitioning
Partitioning needs to be considered to create a fully flexible working office, as it offers privacy, better acoustics, meeting rooms, departmental layout, and safety, while offering enough personal space for workers to feel individually valued and productive.
Meridian can provide many different types of partitioning systems for the modern office or industrial environment.
Drywall Systems
Jumbo Stud Partitions
Industrial Steel Partitioning
Fully Glazed Partitioning Systems
Glazing
Glazing, used in partitioning, has the added benefit of allowing light to flow throughout the office.
Natural lighting in an office is incredibly important. Employees will favour natural light for its many properties, as discussed in this article: Must-Have Office Features Employees Will Love.
We discussed how incorporating as much natural light into an area as possible and positioning workstations evenly throughout the area can be beneficial to employee’s well-being. A 2018 Harvard Business Review reports a study concluding that workers in daylight office environments reported a 51% drop in the incidence of eyestrain, a 63% drop in the incidence of headaches and a 56% reduction in drowsiness.
Flooring
Flooring is so versatile and a great way of zoning a space, without the need for partitioning it physically. Different types of flooring with varying textures, patterns and colours can make a big impact to an office refurbishment.
There is suitable flooring for every budget, use and colour scheme, making it a great way to freshen up an office space, re-purpose an area or adding an injection of colour or branding.
Breakout Areas
As a focal point within a workspace, a place where employees can interact socially, have drinks, have some lunch or catch up for an informal meeting, we believe the provision of a well-designed kitchen and breakout area, is essential in any workplace.
The space available will help with the design process, along with creative input from an office fit-out specialist and the analysis of how employees would like to use the space.
If you would like to discuss your next office refurbishment, Meridian Interiors are celebrating 20 years of experience this year and enjoy helping clients design and plan their office schemes.
Office Refurbishment Checklist
An office refurbishment can completely revitalise your office space, and transform your workplace into a modern, stylish space that employees can enjoy. With regular studies finding that increased employee happiness links strongly to productivity, it’s no wonder that an inviting office space is on many employees’ wish lists. After all, if you spend so much time at work, why wouldn’t you want to invest in an office space that ticks all the boxes?
Step 1.
Identify your needs and objectives. This should be the easy part! Ask yourself, why do you want to refurbish your office? What do you want to gain from your office space?
These are simple enough questions, but they can help you finalise a goal from your office revamp, so you don’t go off track along the way, which is far easier to do than you might think.
Consider these points below…
Expansion: Do you need to create more room? Facilities: Do these need to be upgraded? Workplace environment: Is your reason for wanting to create a nicer place for your employees to improve wellbeing, or to improve productivity? Legislation: Do you need your space to meet new government guidelines or /legislation?
Step 2.
Identify who needs to be involved in the project.
This includes company members and external companies. Depending on the size and scope of the refurb, you may find yourself liaising with additional companies, for example, if you are upgrading your company logos or signage, you’ll likely need to find a supplier and work with them on the design.
Company members: How will your team members and employees be involved with the project? Will they be involved directly or indirectly? Consider all departments from your financial team to human resources and management to marketing. They will all have an important input.
External companies: Employee unions and regulators, external professional services involved will need to be considered.
Step 3.
Talk to your Landlord It is important that you keep your landlord fully up to date with any plans you have to refurbish your space and that they have given you permission to make those changes.
TOP TIP: Remember, you may need to obtain a ‘License to Alter’. This ensures the landlord is aware of all changes so an accurate and detailed Alter can be drawn up.
Step 4
Choose a reputable office design and refurbishment company.
It is important to choose a reputable company to work with, things to look out for are their reputation, experience, and previous projects.
Step 5
Initial consultation
● Headline Project Objectives: To stay organised it is important to set objectives to ensure all parties involved are aware of the timeline and project outcomes.
● Team synergy in your organisation: Create an environment that allows a team. to come together and collaborate, plan spaces that inspire synergy.
● Employee Habits & Wellbeing: Your team spends 8 hours a day in the office. . Create a space where their well-being is boosted and create places within these. spaces that incorporate healthy habits.
● Your Brand Themes: Allow your team to live and breathe the brand they work for by using the themes of your brand within your business.
● How the current space is utilised & performs: Understand what is already working and what isn’t. Speak to your team, spend a day in different areas of your office to understand the dynamics.
Step 6
Identify your budget vs expenses of the project you want to carry out.
Get quotes on every aspect of the project and understand your budget. The project will include expenses and fees from transactional fees to planning permission to contingency costs. Prepare for these as early as possible by budgeting as early as possible.
Step 7
Identify when the best time to start your project is.
You’ll ideally want to avoid disruption as much as possible to day-to-day productivity in the office. Obviously, some disruption is expected, but you can plan this well to avoid it colliding with a busy time of year, for example.
When is your quietest time of year? When can you fit this in when it will not affect day-to-day operations too much, can your team remote work during this? Also, consider the environment around your office.
Step 8.
Design considerations
2D and 3D drawings: Consider the best designs using both 2D and 3D drawings to understand the use of space. This will help the refurbishment company to thoroughly understand your vision.
Interior design: The design, branding, and colours will feed into all aspects of the refurbishment and design, and these should be considered during the design process.
Furniture: If you are planning on keeping your current furniture or planning on buying new, ensure to plan your purchases around the design. Furniture is very important to the look of your new refurbishment.
Lighting: Positioning of your lighting will affect the look of your design and your employee’s work life. This is also a health consideration.
Glazing: To allow appropriate lighting and to conserve heat, whilst blocking out sound from the outside. Work with your refurbishment company to choose the most appropriate glazing.
Flooring: Appropriate flooring will complete the look of an office and ensure a safe place for employees to walk around on.
Storage: A new space allows for new storage solutions; correct planning will allow you to take advantage of all new storage opportunities. Storage whilst your refurbishment takes place is also essential to store your equipment and office suppliers.
DDA Compliance: It is important to comply with DDA, the law requires you to consider the needs of current and future employees.
Please contact us if you would like our guidance. You can email us on[email protected] or ring 0333 3448 772 today.
Investing in your workspace matters to your staff and can impact the success of your overall company. One important space to consider for your office is an office breakout area.
Our article will explore why you should consider the merits of a breakout space within your workplace, including:
What is an office breakout area?
What to include in an office breakout area?
Office breakout area ideas
Office breakout area furniture
A 2019 report carried out by Staples found that 68% of staff would feel more valued at work if their organisation invested in their workspace, and as Paul Zollinger-Read, former Bupa Chief Medical Officer so nicely put it “as individual happiness is linked to productivity, satisfaction, and fulfilment – why wouldn’t we invest in our spaces?”
What is an office breakout area?
An office breakout area is an area for employees to take a break from their desks and screen. Within the modern working environment, where much more of our time is spent in front of a screen, it is important for employers to not only provide a breakout area for staff but to encourage its use.
These areas can be versatile and used to not only provide a space for staff to enjoy their lunch (the more traditional reason for creating a breakout space). Office breakout areas also create:
Informal meeting areas
Space where people can catch up on their personal ‘life admin’
An area to socialise with colleagues around a tea-point
A place to rest their eyes from the screen!
By providing a space that is more relaxed, it gives employees time for rest and rejuvenation throughout the day. Breaks like this are important, as employees can return to their desks revitalised and raring to go. Such breaks in the day can result in better productivity compared to an office where employees never leave their desks!
These areas can also function as an alternative workspace for tasks that require collaborative or creative thinking. Sitting in a more relaxed environment alone or with a colleague, in a separate space away from general office noise, can be beneficial when brainstorming new ideas of having important discussions.
What to include in an office breakout area?
Due to the versatility of these spaces, it is important to consider the office breakout area design so it caters to everybody and works with the existing office.
The available space for your breakout area will depend on the size of your business premises and the number of staff you have. With developments in acoustic screening and pods, you will not need a huge space, particularly if you are an SME employer. The use of acoustic furniture is an ideal way of creating small breakout spaces in pockets around your offices. Pods or booths, as featured below can offer an area where several colleagues can meet, shutting out the background noise.
The acoustic winged chairs used in The Parks Trust atrium in Milton Keynes are a brilliant way of providing relaxing seating, that when you sit back, the cleverly developed wings help block out background noises.
Depending on how you want staff to use the breakout spaces will determine what you should include. As well as the acoustic seating options above, if you have the luxury of a separate room or space for your breakout area, creating different zones could be an option for you.
Office breakout area checklist
A tea-point or kitchen facility
Fuctional seating with table for either eating or meetings
Relaxed seating
One to one booths
Quiet working areas
Social Areas
A library
Charging areas (ports for technology devices)
Games/Chillout space
The ‘comparehemarket.com’ common room has a putting green in it to help staff relax on their break.
Office breakout area ideas
In order to transform an office space and improve employee wellbeing, morale and productivity, we have put together some office breakout area ideas from previous client projects. This small selection illustrates the different look and feel that can be created within a breakout area.
Elements that can be incorporated within these breakout spaces are outlined below.
Glass partitioning
To provide an element of separation, but to ensure light flows into the breakout space, using glass partitioning can form an attractive and practical solution.
Company branding
The breakout area can be a place to have some fun with the company branding, incorporating colour into furniture, soft furnishings and paint finishes.
Recharge rooms
Creating a sanctuary of calm among a vibrant and busy office can provide an area for staff to recharge their batteries and take a break.
Lounge area
You may find in a larger company that a lot of staff go off-site for lunch, to either a coffee shop or sandwich bar. If space allows, creating a lounge area with a coffee shop vibe can encourage staff to socialise with each other during their downtime, form better working relationships with colleagues.
Pods
These self-contained areas for smaller offices, can provide a private area to carry out work in peace, make a sensitive phone call or have a meeting with a colleague.
Office Breakout Area Furniture
Selecting furniture for your office breakout area design will depend on what you plan to include.
Types of furniture to be incorporated would ideally include:
Breakfast bar
Sofas and relaxed seating
Low coffee tables
Poufs
Benches
As with all office design, considerations to natural light, ventilation, and foot flow all come into play when designing a breakout area, so it is sensible to seek advice from a specialist office fit-out company when planning to incorporate this type of space into your office.
As an office fit out and refurbishment company, we wanted to put an all-encompassing article together to assist our readers with all aspects of office refurbishment, using our experience and real-life case studies.
Within this article we cover the following:
What does an office refurbishment involve?
Who carries out an office refurbishment?
Cost of an office refurbishment
What does an office refurbishment company do?
Benefits of Office Refurbishment
Examples of office refurbishment
What is the difference between an office refurbishment and an office fit out?
What Does an Office Refurbishment Involve?
Office refurbishment could be described as the renovation of a workspace. It is often a method of modernising, refreshing and revamping a space, not necessarily to change its function or layout, although this can form a part of the refurbishment. More likely, it is to be initiated by new branding, an increase or reduction in staff or updating the space to offer employees a better working environment.
Who Carries Out an Office Refurbishment?
Businesses who are focused on the well-being of their employees are either aware or keen to learn about how their office can help to produce a positive working environment (that may be why you are reading this article!). Job satisfaction and productivity are both key benefits to a well thought out office refit project, along with a positive impression to both stakeholders and visitors alike.
Once a need has been identified, contacting an office refurbishment specialist is paramount to producing a successful project.
Cost of an Office Refurbishment
An office refurb project can vary dramatically from simple redecoration to a full modernisation and therefore the attributed costs can vary significantly.
Elements that may be considered in an office refurbishment project are:
● Partitioning ● Lighting ● Flooring ● Joinery ● Data cabling/ AV cabling ● Breakout areas ● Reception areas ● Ceiling Refurbishment ● Suspended ceilings ● Mezzanine floors ● Suspended ceilings
As each project is unique, with the scope of works and size of the office influencing refurbishment costs, a detailed breakdown of all elements is essential and having a budget to work to is very useful. Working with an Office Refurbishment specialist will establish if your budget can be used for a basic, mid or high spec finish.
What Does an Office Refurbishment Company Do?
An office fit out and refurbishment company will work to listen and understand the needs of your project and create and deliver a design and subsequent fit out based on your needs.
Businesses are experts in their own field, whether they offer a product or service, however, unless your company offers interior refurbishment or office refurb, you will need to seek guidance from a specialist in these areas to assist with your refurbishment project. And we exist to make your working life comfortable.
During initial consultations, trained staff will be listening to and understanding the human side of your business, because creating your perfect office design is all about asking the right questions.
Office refurbishment companies often have a wealth of experience and innovative skills to deliver high-quality projects that are aesthetically pleasing, whilst providing practicality to suit your everyday business needs.
Case Study
Working with The Parks Trust in Buckinghamshire is an exemplary example of collaboration and the importance of using an office refurbishment company. As a charity who care for parks and green spaces in Milton Keynes, they were keen to use a lot of timber in their design for the collaborative workspace and break-out area. Utilising our expertise and talented craftsmen, we were able to create a stunning space in The Parks Trust’s atrium.
Ally Phillips, Senior Property manager at The Parks Trust highlighted one of the benefits she found from using an experience office refurbishment company. “Meridian were happy to provide a chain of custody of the timber required, as this was a major part of the design”.
As previously mentioned, every brief and budget are different and every client’s requirements unique to their brand and workplace environment. A one size fits all approach just would not work for providing a well-thought out and executed refurbishment project, which is where working with an experience office refurbishment company matters. We create workspaces that not only look good, but also promote wellbeing in the workplace, leading to increase productivity for your business.
Benefits of Office Refurbishment
There are many benefits for carrying out an interior refurbishment in your office and some will be specific to individual businesses. Detailed below are a selection of the more common ones.
Growth and Future-proofing
As a business expands, an office refurbishment may be generated, as teams may change in dynamic and size. This would be a good opportunity to discuss the most efficient ways of working and how space planning could assist with this, as future proofing the layout at this stage is time well spent.
Updating Furniture
Technology improvements and scientific research into the ergonomic benefits of workplace furniture is ongoing. In recent years, sit-stand desks have been advocated in many working environments and much research has been written about their benefits. Sit-stand desks have become particularly popular among millennials and some even expect one as part of their package when they start a new job. A refurbishment is an ideal opportunity to take stock of existing office furniture and explore modern options, which can help staff well-being.
Introducing new technologies
As technology changes, so often does the space. From larger server cupboards, ‘Zoom’ rooms, to considerations around remote working and the potential change of use of offices, to meeting and collaborative hubs. Embracing these developments within your refurbishment will assist with more agile working practices.
Opportunity to change the working environment
In many modern working environments staff complain about noisy spaces, making it hard to concentrate because of background noise or overbearing office lighting, lack of natural light or good ventilation. As these elements are intrinsic to creating a healthy working environment, as detailed in our article ‘How to Design a Productive Office Environment’, a refurbishment project is a perfect time to consider these factors and include them into your plans.
Creating a new identity
If your current workspace has become a bit dated or run down, this can reflect negatively on your brand, as visual impression is paramount to your corporate identity. An interior refurbishment is therefore advantageous and an opportunity to affect business progression, through staff morale and productivity, following positive investment in their working environment.
As explained throughout this article an office refurbishment can mean something different to each company. This project involved demolition, installation of new suspended ceilings, updates to lighting, decoration, glazing installation, bespoke joinery, a kitchen fit-out and fitting new flooring.
The result is a modernised workplace, utilising the space more effectively and providing staff with a working environment and break-out area, flooded with natural light and refreshing colour palette.
A different project saw Meridian Interiors carry out a complete high-end office refurbishment, incorporating our client’s re-branding exercise, which was complemented with a new office furniture installation.
Incorporating impressive design, good products and skilled workmanship, the following elements were incorporated into the scheme; space planning, upgrading meeting areas, partitioning and screening, an operable and sliding wall installation, bespoke joinery, kitchen fit-out, tea point and break-out refurbishment, W/C refurbishments, decoration, carpet & luxury vinyl tile installation and supplying both functional and relaxed furniture.
These images show the creation of this stunning office environment.
What is the difference between an office refurbishment and an office fit out?
Office refurbishment and office fit out are often used interchangeably because they are very similar.
The key difference is that an office fit out may be completed within a new building and an office refurbishment project can be considered to be undertaken in an existing building/space.
A fit out is the process of creating an interior workspace suitable for use, involving the implementation of electrical and mechanical systems, followed by internal decoration and furniture installation. There are different levels of fit out, depending on who is developing the space, the landlord or the tenant.
The term Category A (Cat A) fit out, generally involves fitting out the core of a building, to possibly include amenity areas, staircases, corridors, lobbies or reception areas.
The term Category B (Cat B) fit outs are more reflective of the works completed in the tenants or owners demise, possibly the office or workshops where the client will operate their business.
Whatever your level of office refurbishment requirement, Meridian Interiors have the knowledge and expertise to create an amazing workspace! Discover our office refurbishment services here or contact us today to find out more.
When you embark on a new office refurbishment, the amount of different tasks to think about can seem daunting, especially if you are developing designs, sourcing trades people, dealing with building regulations, working with a project manager through another company, the list goes on…!
If, however, you choose to deal with a company, like Meridian Interiors, who offer a full ‘turn-key’ service, you benefit from dealing with a main point of contact who can look after the following services and talk you through the project from beginning to end:
Space Planning
Office Design
Product Sourcing
On-going Project Cost Analysis
Project Management and Change Management
Health and Safety Coordination and Management
Local Authority Regulatory Compliance
Benefits of using Meridian Interiors for your ‘Turn-key’ Service
One point of contact with specialist knowledge and expertise.
Better communication and quicker project turnaround.
Bespoke service, tailored to your needs.
Use of an Office Interiors company, who work with a sister company, specialising in Office furniture.
Our Team at Meridian are customer facing, always pleased to discuss your future projects and we are proud of our reputation for gaining repeat business, which equates to 80% of our annual turnover.
If you would like to experience what Meridian can offer for your next interiors project, please do not hesitate to contact us today!
Legally, people employed in the UK are entitled to 20 minutes of rest in a six-hour workday. Staff and employees alike are encouraged to use breakout areas to recuperate and de-stress. However, many workers state they don’t always use that 20 minutes, with some not taking a break at all! A proper Office Refurbishment & fit-out service can help not only improve creativity and wellbeing, it can also improve productivity: helping that all-important bottom line.
An improved overall wellbeing
Staff need to take time and recharge during a regular workday. Stress and resulting health concerns like anxiety and stiffness are avoided by using breakout areas for nutrition and pressure relief. Taking breaks regularly throughout the workweek is a good habit to adopt, promoting self-care. This has enormous benefits for a person’s physical and psychological health. According to Bupa, their survey of 2000 employees shows 30% of workers who skip lunch felt ill by the afternoon. A further 40% claimed dampened productivity and 52% state low mood. Therefore, taking breaks are important in both physical and psychological aspects.
Moreover, detaching the eyes from a glaring computer screen for a while helps eyesight, reducing headaches. Moving away from the desk and correcting posture lessens the impact of the common slouched sitting position. Sedentary behaviour is lessened, helping negate risks such as musculoskeletal discomfort, metabolic syndrome, type II diabetes and cancer.
A productive working environment
Working hard doesn’t directly correlate to high productivity. This misconception occurs due to employers’ attitudes and the rat race to securing a bonus or promotion. Confinement to a desk without sufficient down time and nutrition intake reduces productivity, despite spending longer on tasks. This suggests taking a break at work is imperative for getting stuff done! Be it a lunch/smoke break, they boost productivity, psychological wellbeing and performance.
In fact, stress, anxiety and poor performance stem from overworked staff. Therefore, it is in a company’s best interests to encourage staff to use breakout areas to enhance performance and job satisfaction.
Encourage breaks; exploit the tremendous benefits by revamping the breakout area with our quality Office Design. The ideal retreat is essential for a needed desk break. Encourage colleagues to break for lunch and discuss the benefits of doing so. Most importantly, lead by example and take a break yourself!
