To align our headquarters with our other modern office locations, we seized the opportunity during lockdown to give our headquarters, The Charles Parker Building in Higham Ferrers, a full, top down refurbishment.
The refurbishment took four-months to complete and now boasts a fresh and contemporary working environment, including new flooring, a fresh coat of paint, new modern furniture, fixed and hot desks, flexible working spaces and an increased number of meeting rooms.
We wanted to create a space that is not only aesthetically pleasing, but also supports our colleagues in terms of wellbeing. To this end, Velux rooflights have been introduced to increase natural daylight and ventilation. New feature lighting has been implemented and the general lighting has been improved throughout. We also have motion sensored lighting to decrease the use of electricity where possible and to utilise the benefit of additional natural daylight. Furthermore, compact modern bench desks have been implemented to create a more spacious working environment for each individual, alongside future implementation of ‘relaxation’ areas with sofas for employees to enjoy.
We engaged CK4 Limited (CK4) for the renovation as well as calling upon the expertise of our highly skilled engineers to assist with the scheme. Specifically, the MEP team who provided a design concept for heating system upgrade, zonal controls and new heat emitters (radiators), air source heat pump-based heating and cooling, new general LV power, a low voltage distribution replacement and Category 6 data cabling throughout.
The last time that the building underwent major refurbishment works was back in 1984, to transform the existing building from a previous shoe factory into an active working environment. We have retained many of the period features such as the parquet flooring which has undergone a full restoration and looks a superb contrast against the more modern finishes. The building itself hasn’t lost its character and even the names given to our new and improved meeting spaces have been strategically selected based on the history of the building and the local area.
We would like to say a huge thank you to CK4, specifically, Managing Director, Chris Woosnam and Contracts Manager, Darren Tuck, on their support for the scheme. Our very own Helen Rolton was a superb client-side Project Manager and Interior Designer, Sally Longden, also did a fantastic job with the concept.
With the Government recently easing restrictions on working from home, our Higham Ferrers team is now enjoying their new working environment.
