10 Cool Commercial Buildings – in association with Roberts Limbrick
In our November issue of Business & Innovation Magazine, we showcase 10 Cool Commercial Buildings - in Association with Roberts Limbrick.
Companies are investing in their office buildings to encourage collaboration and boost staff morale – and you no longer have to bring your own plant!
In the dark old days of the 20th century, all a worker might expect from their employer was a desk, chair and phone in a poorly adapted old building, or anonymous office block in a cheap-to-lease part of town - You’d even have to bring your own plant.
But those employers have had an epiphany. They now realise that a well-designed commercial building, inside and out, where light and creative and collaborative space abound, boosts productivity and often encourages employees and users to stay longer.
Everyone should enjoy the space where they earn or learn, according to Aled Roberts, director at architect Roberts Limbrick. "After two years of staying at home more than ever before, we’re seeing a new generation of commercial buildings, designed to tempt people away from the comfort of their houses. Whether it’s beautiful buildings, collaborative spaces, or state-of-the-art technology, people are expecting more from the places they use to work or study.
“At Roberts Limbrick, we've updated our own offices since the start of the pandemic to create a more sociable atmosphere with a variety of spaces for everyone to work.
This is a trend we’re seeing more of as companies realise that a great space can boost wellness, morale and productivity.”
Following on from our 10 Cool Offices published back in our March issue, we now showcase 10 of the regions coolest commercial buildings.
The commercial buildings on this list cover everything from city centre research centres to countryside offices, showing the amazing variety this region has to offer.
10 Cool Commercial Buildings: in association with Roberts Limbrick
| Formal House, Cheltenham
This former Victorian warehouse has won an award for its sympathetic refurbishment by Roberts Limbrick architects, which has created a vibrant town-centre space inside and out.
| UWE Bristol School of Engineering
This building won the RIBA South West Award 2022 and RIBA South West Project Architect of the Year Award 2022. The brief called for interaction between departments and spaces which promoted collaboration between students, staff and visitors in order to more closely reflect how modern engineering, research and problem-solving are tackled in industry.
| The Undercroft Learning Centre, Worcester Cathedral
The conversion of the former monastic storage rooms into the new Undercroft Learning Centre at Worcester Cathedral provides an innovative and versatile venue. for the whole community.
| Green Gourmet, Stonehouse
This year, food innovation company Green Gourmet became a certifi d Great Place to Work. We can see why.
| Engine Shed, Bristol
The Engine Shed opened in 2015 after a £1.7 million investment to transform Brunel’s original station at Temple Meads and it’s still a cool space to work seven years on. Next door is the Boxworks, built out of shipping containers which offers 20 private studios – each suitable for up to six people.
| Kirtlington Business Centre, Oxfordshire
Labouring away in your office and you’ll smell the fresh Oxfordshire countryside air wafting through the window. And as this business centre is fi tted out with the latest technology, you won’t miss the city. During the Second World War, Slade Farm – now home to Kirtlington Business Centre, was an RAF airfi eld specialising in aircraft repairs. Now it’s home to a dozen or more businesses.
| Royal Porcelain Works, Worcester
Royal Worcester porcelain was established as in 1751, but the world-renowned manufacturer finally closed its doors in the city in 2009. The Royal Porcelain Works is now owned by the Bransford Trust and has undergone a multi-million-pound redevelopment offering event space and offices. It first opened in June 2018 with phase one, featuring the Henry Sandon Hall. The 1852 showroom is at the heart of the development, refurbished to become a 140-seat capacity multi-use arts and entertainment venue.
| Prof Lord Bhattacharyya Building, WMG, Warwick
Last year, the Professor Lord Bhattacharyya building, home to the National Automotive Innovation Centre, scooped the National Royal Institute of British Architects award. The NAIC is a partnership between Warwick Manufacturing Group at the University of Warwick, Jaguar Land Rover, and Tata Motors. It’s home to up to 1,000 staff working across design, engineering and research, as well as future engineers on degree programmes.
| Core to Cloud, Cirencester
An office in a castle, with a gym, recording studio and cinema. Why would you ever want to go home? Perhaps staff at cyber security company Core to Cloud don’t. The castle, on Cecily Hill in Cirencester, was built as a military barracks in the 1850s. It’s now Grade II listed, but that didn’t stop celebrated interior designer and “maximalist” Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen putting his unique stamp on the building in 2017 when a previous occupier invited him to undertake a £3 million renovation of the building.
| The Clore Music Studios at New College, University of Oxford
The Clore Music Studios at New College, University of Oxford intelligently squeezes bespoke performance spaces into Oxford’s conservation area. The building, designed by John McAslan + Partners, was a national award-winner in the 2021 Royal Institute of British Architects Awards for Architecture.
This feature has been published inside our November Issue of Business & Innovation Magazine – Pages 106-113 – in association with Roberts Limbrick.
To see the feature in print, read our latest edition online
