Northern Rail: Manchester, York & Leeds

Location: Leeds, Manchester, York

Sector: Transport/ Logistics

Scope of Works: Design > Contracting > Furniture

The Brief

In a business steeped in history and age old traditions, the rusty stigma that has become attached to it comes as little surprise. Having taken over the franchise for the next 7 years, Northern Rail’s aim was to improve the customer’s experience not only of rail travel but their perception of an ageing industry. This became the driving force behind the design. Creating an interior that looked to future, largely unbranded but unmistakeably Northern Rail.

The Solution

Leeds

One major challenge was how to divide the small 4,304 sq ft space between reception, training and the open plan office, whilst maintaining a sense of openness and connection. The solution was to build a 200mm thick feature wall with a little opening to give a sense of transition as you pass through the space into a small breakout area for training, this then opens out into the main office.

A key feature was to subtly underpin the design with hints of Northern Rail’s ethos, People, places and possibilities. This was done in a number of ways. Frameless glazed partitioning make up the majority of meeting rooms and cellular spaces with bespoke graphics depicting each majocity across the North of England. Again, uniquely stylised canvases showing Northern Rail’s customers and staff, add bright splashes of colour to the clean sharp interior.

Manchester

The fit-out of the company’s new premises at ‘Square One’ in Manchester city centre was designed to allow for 100 Northern Rail staff to relocate from their current offices in Whitworth Street.

Formerly a Royal Mail sorting office, Square One had been recently re-developed by Bruntwood to offer a high-specification working environment that would exude aesthetic quality and style, and a scheme was developed by Claremont to work in compliment to this, as well as to Northern Rail’s own brand identity.

Working with a floor area of approximately 8,500 sq ft, and ceiling heights of nearly 4m, Claremont was able to use 3m high runs of frameless glass—a perfect canvas to enable Claremont’s Project Designer, Matt Holmes, to create large scale branding and imagery. A break-out area for staff was created using pendant lighting and bench seating to give a relaxed ‘bar’ feel to the space.

The new office was also the first office in the UK to be fitted with ‘Geolan’, a floor mounted stainless steel sliding door system provided by Claremont supply partner Office Blinds & Glazing (OBG). Geolan was created for use in areas where wall or ceiling mounting is not possible. After discussions with Northern Rail and OBG, Claremont chose to use Geolan due to its aesthetics and specification and its ability to take greater loads (of up to 135kg).

A key feature was to subtly underpin the design with hints of Northern Rail’s ethos: ‘people, places and possibilities’. This was done in a number of ways. Frameless glazed partitioning make up the majority of meeting rooms and cellular spaces with bespoke graphics depicting each major city across the North of England. Again, uniquely stylised canvases showing Northern Rail’s customers and staff, add bright splashes of colour to the clean sharp interior.

Alan Nichols, of OBG, says:

“We were delighted to be involved in this prestigious project and had no qualms about being the first in the UK to install this innovative and very effective new product. OBG has aligned itself with the GEZE range of products, so it was a guarantee that Geolan’s quality and aesthetics would satisfy Claremont’s aspirations.

York

In York, the challenge was to create a collaborative and friendly working environment for approximately 250 workers that were already housed in one of Northern Rail’s existing facilities. Following feasibility studies carried out at this and two other properties, the decision to move was taken, based on financial factors and the need to inhabit a head office that better reflected the contemporary, yet familiar, image of the organisation. A 1960s office block was selected as the new premises, 2188 sq m of space was taken over four floors. Claremont worked in conjunction with the existing landlord to amend and minimise costs before delivering their unique tenant fit-out solution.

In addition to open plan spaces with new seating and benching, the new offices also feature seamless glass partitions and doors throughout, complete with bespoke branding. A series of 1.5metre long abstract canvases featuring commuters and railway station scenes were also installed, created from a number of photos taken by Claremont.

Four floors of high-quality office space were handed over fully-furnished, air conditioned and with specially-commissioned artwork and graphic branding in place, just 12 weeks after the on-site start date.

The Result

The updating of Northern Rail’s branding and image was handled skilfully and sensitively, incorporating elements of change and tradition, as explained by Claremont Designer, Matt Holmes:

“An important factor in developing the new facility was to challenge peoples’ outdated views of a ‘staid organisation’ whilst creating something that was unmistakeably Northern Rail."

Related downloads

'The Rail Thing' (Premises & Facilities Management) (PDF, 199K)
'Right Tracks' (Mix Interiors) (PDF, 359K)

"We needed to relocate and create a modern 'Northern' work environment for over 250 of our people. Through an extensive search process we found Claremont. They offered a unique blend of the ability to listen and translate, add their own creativity where appropriate, then thoroughly plan and implement. The combination of skills which Claremont brought added genuine value to the project."

Malcolm Brown, Area Director East - Norther Rail