DAC Beachcroft
Claremont managed the project from initial consultation right through to delivery and handover. This turnkey approach helped the project to run smoothly, meeting challenging timescale and budgetary targets.
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Sector
Legal
Location
Leeds
Size
24,800 sq ft
Duration
14 weeks
Scope
Workplace consultancy
Interior design
Fit-out
Furniture
Audio visual
The Challenge
Integrate a modern workspace within a Grade II listed building
Accomodate for DAC Beachcroft's large storage needs
Introduce new ways of working to DACB's team
How we added
value
DAC Beachcroft is a keen advocate of agile working practices, and the move from two different sites in Leeds to a single location in the Grade II listed landmark St Paul’s House in Park Square provided an ideal opportunity for the firm to create a more flexible, productive workspace. Claremont was tasked to deliver a new way of working, while also rationalising storage and space. The project not only involved creating a new workspace to enable DAC Beachcroft’s vision of a more streamlined and collaborative way of working, but also managing the transition for DAC Beachcroft’s people. Close consultation, guidance and support to the various teams throughout the process would be critical to ensuring that the benefits of the new space were maximised with the minimum amount of disruption to the day-to-day work of the firm.
Claremont began the process with a rigorous period of consultation with DAC Beachcroft’s management team and staff, in order to crystallise what agile working meant for them and how the new space could be best configured to support this new way of working.
Enhanced communication and teamwork were two of the key drivers for the project, which meant reconfiguring the space to support activity-based working. Huddle spaces, booths and third spaces have been integrated with more traditional open plan office spaces, providing a greater variety of environments for the staff to utilise.
The storage space has also been rationalised to accommodate the large number of files necessary for the firm’s work without encroaching too heavily on the floorspace. As well as streamlining the office environment, these space-saving measures resulted in a significant cost saving for DAC Beachcroft.
A particular challenge for the team was integrating this modern workspace into the Grade II listed features of the building. The design of the space was carefully engineered to ensure a harmonious integration of the old and the new, with creatively dressed windows providing a seamless transition between the two. Subtle manifestations on the glass-panelled meeting rooms further reflect the period architecture of the building.
The results of Claremont’s workspace consultancy showed that the firm could operate at its most efficient with an 8:10 ratio of desks to staff, freeing up space to provide better facilities to the staff that are on site at any one time.
Harnessing agile working practices to improve the way we do business was a key driver of this project. Making the transition successfully relied heavily on our ability to bring our staff on the journey with us. Claremont understood just how important this process was, and their consultation with staff across the spectrum of our organisation ensured that its success wasn’t left to chance.
Virginia Clegg, DAC Beachcroft
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