Mills & Reeve, Birmingham
When leading law firm Mills & Reeve set its sights on One Centenary Way in Birmingham as its new home, the brief was clear.
Sector
Legal
Location
Birmingham
Size
32,000 sq ft
Scope
Design & Build
Workplace Furniture
Audio Visual
How we added value
When leading law firm Mills & Reeve set its sights on One Centenary Way in Birmingham as its new home, the brief was clear. All employees needed to be together on one floor so they could experience a highly collaborative, open, community-led workplace, and for that workplace to be as sustainable as possible.
The design responds to insights which sought to understand what employees and the business needed from the workplace. Designers Claremont created a layout that celebrates the very essence of a destination office. It exudes choice, enables teamwork, builds community and encourages employees to come together for work and relaxation.
Diversity and inclusion are inherent, and special design consideration is given to mobility and accessibility needs, different working methods, neurodivergent employees, wellbeing, and prayer.
As the SKA silver certification attests, this is also a sustainable workplace. Mills & Reeve’s existing desks, soft seating, storage and AV have been reused. New furniture and materials have been sourced from sustainable suppliers and local manufacturers to reduce the project’s carbon footprint.
The new office, with subtle nods to the city’s iconic buildings, from replicating the library’s striking pattern on acoustic panels to maximising the fifth-floor views and incorporating Birmingham’s architectural arches and curves, embodies its locale to create a sense of belonging.
Organic curves and arches help to soften and zone the vast floorplate. They appear on the flooring, lighting, free-standing furniture, and meeting spaces and have even been used to create an arched welcome for employees. Much of the furniture can be moved, reconfigured, and added to without compromising the overall aesthetic to maximise flexibility as the firm grows.
Employees can choose from various touchdown settings, pods for quiet work, team settings, meeting rooms and more. Desks for solo work occupy the office’s perimeter to maximise light and aid concentration – while more dynamic and collaborative settings are based in the core.
A dedicated business lounge on the fourth floor provides a well-equipped client suite for meetings and a large flexible space for company entertaining. Clever use of partition walls between the formal meeting rooms offers even greater flexibility. This area continues using the arches, a feature of the nearby Rep Theatre, with a colonnade wall feature and colour-changing lighting so Mills & Reeve can personalise their space to the occasion.
The same floor also houses a new onsite catered café, which is the cultural and social heart of the Mills & Reeve community. It provides a bright and open space for employees to come together to socialise throughout the day, and its constant use helps to make this area feel connected to the main floorplate.
Surpassing expectations is the ultimate compliment, and that’s how Mills & Reeve’s employees and senior managers have described this project. The finished office gives this law firm an essential and flexible growth tool, able to accommodate its ambitious plans and support myriad ways of working.
The new office perfectly delivers the brief and is flexible, fun, collaborative, inclusive, and sustainable. It is the ultimate destination office.
Our brief was around collaboration and inclusivity. We wanted to create a space where all our colleagues were on one floor with plenty of scope to collaborate and have fun. Claremont’s design has built on that, creating a wow factor for our team. The feedback has been exceptional, and the result is far better than expected.
Jayne Hussey, partner and head of Mills & Reeve’s Birmingham office.
Warrington Design Studio (HQ)
Claremont House
The Breeze
2 Kelvin Close
Birchwood
Warrington
WA3 7PB
