To meet the University’s requirement for new agile working areas across their Chelmsford and Cambridge campuses, Ellis Williams were appointed to design modern work spaces that encourage staff collaboration and engagement across departments and generally provide a more efficient and flexible approach to working. The phased remodelling and refurbishment works were completed in four separate buildings across two campuses, within the context of the live University environment.
The works within the Lord Ashcroft Building on the University’s Cambridge Campus provide new agile working space for the Faculty of Business and Law staff. To achieve this, the existing meeting rooms were demolished to create a large open plan area (The Gallery) and the existing space was maximised and visually linked to a large reception area where information can be provided and exchanged. A new central zone is located in the heart of The Gallery, providing a vibrant, busy and open area for staff interaction. A large Reading Room has also been created as a retreat for uninterrupted quiet time in a relaxing, tranquil atmosphere.
Further internal remodelling and refurbishment works within the first and second floors of Sawyers Building on the University’s Chelmsford Campus provide new agile working spaces for a wide range of university departments including Human Resources, IT, Corporate Marketing, Strategic Planning, Vice Chancellors Group, Secretary’s Office, Academic Registry, Learning Development Services and the Research & Innovation Development Office.
The remodelling within Sawyers building aimed to maximise the existing space by creating open and agile working areas, allowing cross team collaboration, engagement across departments and generally a more flexible approach to working.
Retaining the visual identity that was first defined as part of the agile working scheme within Lord Ashcroft Building on the University’s Cambridge campus, our team developed the designs in close collaboration with the Client team in order to ensure a truly flexible, future-proofed working environment that can easily be adapted to accommodate future changes in work patterns and working methods.
In addition to the new agile work spaces, this major programme of works also included the creation of a new paramedics training facility in Tindal Building and a new Student Services Hub on the ground floor of Queens Building, both within the University’s Chelmsford Campus. The new open and connected Student Services Hub was designed to ensure maximum visibility and contact with existing and new students, improve student experience and increase student satisfaction, as well as providing obvious, open and readily available student services.
The scheme achieved an SKA Silver rating with sustainable design features including energy efficient lighting with intelligent controlling / zoning, careful selection of new materials specified to have low embodied carbon and be responsibly sourced, new energy efficient HVAC, efficient taps, low-flush WCs, application of solar control window film to south facing windows and the provision of cycle parking / cycle lockers with staff shower facilities to encourage more sustainable travel to / from work. A soft-landings approach allowed sufficient time for seasonal comissioning and demonstration of efficient operation of installed systems to the estates team.
