Our refurbishment of the Berghaus Headquarters in Sunderland has been featured in the April issue of OnOffice. Written by Jenny Brewer, the article explores how the project integrates Berghaus’s sense of adventure to create ‘a varied environment supportive of interaction and creativity’.
The project forms part of an exciting body of refurbishment and fit-out work completed by Rock Townsend in the past year that explores the integration of brand into modern working environments. Each project goes further than a one-dimensional application of corporate identity and instead translates the cultural DNA of the client and users into every aspect of the design.
The Berghaus Headquarters celebrates the excitement of the outdoors in both the architectural details, such as the sky rail storage solution and climbing rope staircase, and the blurring of work and social spaces, such as the Base Camp which enables staff to live the culture of adventure in the way they work.
Together with recent refurbishments for Lacoste in Paris and for the University of Westminster on the Harrow Library and the Psychology Department, the latter recently awarded FX International Interior Project of the Year in the Public Sector category, these projects represent powerful examples of what can be achieved with the creative reuse of existing buildings.
The projects have been delivered by a group of talented young designers in the studio who have developed an architectural language that is bold, that enhances the positive aspects of existing buildings, embodies brand in a meaningful way and adopts an inventiveness that makes spaces work in unexpected and engaging ways.
Read more about the project here, and the full OnOffice article here.
“We wanted to pick up on the journey of the product. There’s amazing experimentation and technology going on and it should be celebrated. If someone comes for a meeting now, they’re part of the experience, and it’s a great avert for them.”
“We need to attract the best talent. Once you’ve got somewhere like this, it’s an inspirational place to work and you get staff retention.”