Strong characterful design is helping to drive lettings and sales in some of Birmingham’s newly refurbished office buildings, according to a leading office relocation consultant.
Adrian Southall, Director of KWB Workplace, the integrated office relocation, design and fit-out consultancy arm of Birmingham commercial property agency KWB, says that more radical office designs are attracting organisations looking for office accommodation which reflects their corporate culture.
He says: “It’s the more Bohemian, Hipster office designs, featuring exposed brickwork, beams, posts and the like, which are appealing especially to the TMT (Technology, Media and Telecom) sector, and particularly to smaller independent companies whose owners want a working environment which is attractive to both employees and clients.
“Many are further emphasising the Hipster feeling in the office fit-out process, but this would not be possible without the initial look generated by the design of the refurbishment.”
According to Mr Southhall this trend in Birmingham started in the Jewellery Quarter but is now spreading into the Colmore Business District.
He says: “The refurbishment of 50 – 54 St Paul’s Square, in the Jewellery Quarter, which exposed beams, brickwork and metal windows to reflect its origins as a factory building, helped sell out the available space in a short time.
“This design approach is now working its way into refurbishments of older city centre buildings, where structural elements such as metal pillars between floors have been exposed and treated as a design element, where previously they would have been boxed in. 63 Church Street is a good example, where occupiers include an international beauty brand and a training provider.”
According to Mr Southall refurbishments of more modern office buildings are also using more design elements to attract new tenants.
He says: “At Alpha, an iconic building which has struggled over the years to attract tenants, the recent refurbishment, which delivered a younger and more vibrant feel appealing to the millennial occupier, brought immediate results with more than 35,000 sq ft of lettings in the first quarter of 2017.
“At 10 Temple Street a more contemporary feel generated by semi-exposed ceilings and revealing the structure of the building to provide a modern external façade quickly delivered the first tenant, taking more than 10,000 sq ft.
“Of course design is only one element in an occupier’s choice of office accommodation. The cost and location have to be right too, but it is an increasingly important element for landlords, developers and property agents to consider,” concludes Mr Southall.
KWB Workplace works with landlords, developers and office occupiers as an independent consultancy on office design and fit-out and as a project manager of all works to improve working environments. It also acquires and plans office space and moves organisations in a uniquely comprehensive service.
