Reckitt Beckiser: Slough

Location: Slough

Sector: Retail/ Consumer Goods

Project Value: £1m

Programme: 12 weeks, accelerated to 10

Scope of Works: Consultancy > Design > Contracting

The Brief

Reckitt Benckiser is a global company supplying household cleaning products with operations in 60 countries, sales in 180 countries and net revenues in excess of £3 billion. It recently expanded its global headquarters in Berkshire taking 25,508 sq ft of additional space. The prime objective set by the brief was to ensure ‘best practise globally for Reckitt Benckiser’. The challenge was to create a more stimulating and interactive way of working, whilst considering privacy and personal space. It was also important to embed the corporate identity throughout the design.

The Solution

The design was based on zones of both public and private space, with break-out areas, informal meeting spaces, and a cafe to bring the building alive. New work zones to create a new team environment, combining personalised spaces and storage were introduced. The managers had moved from traditional cellular offices to open plan to improve levels of communication. The concept of ‘huddle rooms’ was developed, integrated into the open plan environment and intended as spontaneous non-bookable meeting spaces. These provided the centre-piece for the first floor open plan area and visual excitement was added through the use of interconnecting ellipses, with suspended bulk heads and strong corporate graphics. The ground floor incorporated the reception, Senior Directors’ offices, boardroom, project rooms, restaurant, café and touchdown spaces; all flowing from the large elliptical shape. The colour palette was white throughout, employing the company product portfolio to develop visually strong artwork and creating a very effective gallery on the backdrop of the white walls.

The Result

Head of Operations, Sendra van Room, was greatly impressed with the final design, feel and look of the space. The expansion required had been built into the design and the Global IS Dept moved into the space with no disruption to the business.

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