Beachcroft: Bristol

Location: Portwall House, Bristol

Sector: Legal

Project Size: 90,000 sq ft

Programme: 28 weeks

Scope of Works: Consultancy > Design > Furniture

The Brief

Claremont worked closely with Beachcroft and Project Managers APS on developing the brief for the building, including making best use of two atria which flood the large open plan office areas with natural light. In an increasingly competitive market, it was essential that the legal practice would have the facilities they required to work efficiently and effectively. The brief therefore included a library, client suite, café/ deli bar, informal meeting spaces and an open plan office space. Printing and reprographic hubs, service pods and refreshment areas were also required throughout the spaces.
Claremont also identified a space allocation strategy to reflect the increased storage levels required. The operational space was set at: 80 sq ft per Admin/ Fee Earner; 100 sq ft per Manager; and 150-200 sq ft per Partner.
All lawyers were situated in the open plan space and the head office functions were located together on the ground floor with private spaces for use by HR and Finance functions.

The Solution

The concept of linking spaces and bringing people together was based on Mondrian’s painting ‘Broadway Boogie Woogie’. The painting links spaces together with clear routes and blocks of colour and this was represented via the implementation of strong colours in the floor and wall finishes. The focal point of the office at the base of the atrium is the ‘village green’, an open space designed to encourage interaction between all who use the building, including clients and visitors. Designed using and appropriately rural colour palette with subtly organic shapes and intelligent planting, the village green is a perfect meeting and break-out space next to the mina open plan areas and library. From the entrance there is a clear journey to guide the staff up and through the building via the café/ deli area, private harbours and through to the village green.
The positioning and placement of the key elements of the design were developed to ensure that as people pass through the space, interaction between teams would naturally increase.

The Result

Speaking about Beachcroft’s approach to the project, Regional Senior Partner at Beachcroft, Michael Bothamley, comments:
“It was important for us to focus on movement and openness. The original starting point for our move the building was to bring people together and move away from the “silo mentality” of some fee earners. We’ve returned to that through the development of the project, but also developed the same principles to allow clients to use the space almost as if it were their own."

“We operate in an incredibly competitive market for both clients and talent, so it was essential that the new offices reflect our position as one of the leading commercial law firms in the U.K. We’re delighted with the results which have put down a bold marker for us as a business and which we believe are amongst the best offices not just in the U.K but also in Europe.”

Patrick Firebrace, Assistant Finance Director - Beachcroft