GVA has confirmed its commitment to the Midlands market by taking a five year lease on 25,973 sq ft of space across three floors at Three Brindleyplace in Birmingham, where it has been based for 20 years.
As a part of its commitment to provide a flexible environment for its workforce, extensive refurbishment works will enshrine agile working principles at the heart of the office’s practices, with the goal to drive greater efficiencies and enhance sustainability.
This will include a move to a paper-light approach, reduction in desk ratios to six for every ten people, and introduction of new flexible and collaborative workspaces.
The traditional reception will be replaced by ‘floor walkers’, members of staff who will welcome guests at the lifts and take them through to a new visitor lounge.
The move is being phased and will be delivered between June 2018 and February 2019, with GVA aiming to achieve both SKA and Fitwel accreditations for the new workspace.
The relocation and refurbishment is being conducted by GVA’s Building Consultancy team, which is providing project management, M&E, SKA Assessor and quantity surveying services.
Carl Potter, GVA, said: “Our Midlands office has operated from Brindleyplace for two decades and this has proven to be an ideal location. By reconfiguring our presence within Three Brindleyplace and remodelling the space around agile working practices, we are able to ensure that we are operating as efficiently as possible.
“This gives our teams significantly greater levels of freedom and flexibility over a traditional open plan environment, with a range of spaces that fit an individual’s needs for that day: from group breakout spaces, to focus areas and quiet booths.
“Agile working enables us to create a stronger sense of wellbeing, empowerment and work/life balance among our employees. By utilising new technologies, we can offer greater flexibility, ensuring that our teams have the tools necessary to fulfil their roles, whether that’s from their kitchen table, a coffee shop, or one of the spaces at Brindleyplace.
“As a business, one of our defining key objectives is to ensure that we are meeting the growing and evolving future demands of the real estate sector. Brindleyplace is a destination that is synonymous with a place that builds people, which is the cornerstone of our brand.”
The Brindleyplace estate is asset managed by Hines.
James Campbell Adamson, Hines, said: “This is a significant recommitment from one of the estate’s longest-serving tenants which underlines the flexibility and evolving diversity of Brindleyplace and its offer to occupiers.”
GVA provides a range of services to Brindleyplace, with its office agency team appointed as joint office letting agents, and the Property Management Consultancy team engaged to manage, monetise and market the estate and its spaces.