A Vibrant Showcase Office Space

Since the COVID pandemic, the rented office space market has become very competitive. Priory Court, our client’s two-storey shared office in Runcorn (around 15 miles east of Liverpool), had been empty since 2019 and needed an inspiring refit in order to attract tenants.

Yellow redesigned the lobby, reception and one of the four large offices to demonstrate the potential of the building. From a tired, conventional space we created a bright and welcoming office, ready for the tenants to move in.

The furnishings had to be flexible so the landlord could reutilise any items the tenant didn’t need. Fittings, including the acoustic panels, can be moved quickly and easily packed away for the next project. We are seeing a trend for landlords furnishing empty office space to attract tenants. To avoid unnecessary waste, everything must be designed to be packed away and moved to another site when required.

Sourcing pre-owned furniture

As part of our commitment to reducing our schemes’ environmental impact, we have been sourcing pre-owned furniture for many years. However, it has rarely been possible to provide more than a few items per scheme. Priory Court proved the pre-owned office furniture market can offer a genuine alternative source. Around 70% of the furniture we specified was pre-owned and saved our client around £25,000.

All desks, including the reception desk, were pre-owned as were 30 meeting room chairs, pedestal units and poseur and coffee tables for the breakout/kitchen area. We checked the condition of every item individually and arranged delivery and assembly on site.

Acoustics & Soundproofing

Priory Court is positioned adjacent to M56, the embankment to the motorway being directly outside the back windows. Although the building had good structural soundproofing, we knew we had to do all we could to obscure external noise.

We chose a number of Allsfär acoustic products within both the reception area and the main office. These included acoustic panels, ceiling baffles, lampshades and room dividers.

Flooring is key to acoustics and we specified carpet tiles and cork flooring throughout. Cork flooring has the added benefit of being considered a carbon-negative product due to the management of large forests in the Iberian peninsula. It is ideal for kitchen and tea point areas as it is easy to clean and softens any clattering noises.

Do you have office space in need of refurbishment? Get in touch.