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As world leaders in helping multinational clients look after their people through employee benefits and wellness solutions, MAXIS Global Benefits Network wanted to create a collaborative workplace where creativity could be fostered and cultivated. Peldon Rose took on the challenge of turning the previous office space into a destination-based workspace which reflects the company’s people-focused approach. An office that boasts a central London location in The Monument Building, with views overlooking Monument itself, MAXIS GBN now has an impressive office space that matches its equally impressive surroundings.
MAXIS GBN had outgrown their previous office space and with an expanding team, recognised the need to improve their ways of working, moving towards a more flexible and agile approach. Peldon Rose’s Workplace Strategy team carried out an assessment of the space to really understand how the MAXIS GBN team worked and the most effective way to use the office space. Through close collaboration with the client, Peldon Rose determined the types of experiences that could be created with the space available for employees, providing insights into how to maximise employee wellbeing as well as reconfiguring the space to promote flexible working and creative thinking. From these insights and recommendations, Peldon Rose have created a personalised design that pushes the boundaries of MAXIS GBN’s initial brief, a delivering collaborative, positive space that their employees can return to and adapt to a more hybrid style of working.
Working with a global customer base meant that the office needed to be a place to welcome clients and create an impactful first impression. Peldon Rose transformed the reception area to give it the ‘wow’ factor. Guests are now greeted with a large MAXIS GBN logo with lighting built into the design to provide a striking contrast against the polished concrete wall. Additional impact is delivered through hanging planting as well as yellow and green furnishings to create an earthy, calming presence, from the moment you enter the office space.
Peldon Rose designed the space to promote collaborative working and thinking. The previous one-to-one static working format became a new agile open-plan space with social areas such as the new tea point with banquet style seating, and modular style tables offering employees a chance to build those all-important relationships and friendships in person. The new office is now an inspiring, comfortable workspace which supports the team’s transition back into the office.
The previously cramped office place is now a space which encourages all styles of working. The reconfiguration saw the removal of the rows of regimented and introduction of collaborative areas for creatively driven brain storming sessions. By opening up this space, staff now have an area where they can come together to socialise and escape their desks. The team reangled boardrooms to create agile, multi-functional areas with features such as sliding folding partitions allowing for larger meetings.
For those times when employees need a quieter environment to really focus, they are now able to choose from smaller meeting rooms, booth seating or a new library space that offers privacy away from the central hub of the office.
To further promote flexibility Peldon Rose’s furniture team worked cleverly to introduce multi-functional, modular pieces of seating in the breakout areas, that could easily be moved to open up the space for larger team events.
The deep blue that can be seen in MAXIS GBN’s colour scheme is woven into the design. Glass panelling throughout the office has been framed with a blue outline whilst select floor panels within the meeting rooms have been painted blue. Unique features, such as a ‘knick-knack wall’ where employees and clients can place souvenirs, act as a happy reminder of the global nature of the business and creates a sense of unity between teams.
The library has a nook that is surrounded by bookshelves and allows people to have their own quiet space whilst not feeling too disconnected from the rest of the office. The space is completely unique to MAXIS GBN with personalised finishes and decorations.
Within the reception area, timber slats have been incorporated into the ceiling design adding an element of natural beauty and warmth to the contemporary design, whilst floor-to-ceiling windows flood the office with natural light. Planting throughout brings greenery into the space, with hanging foliage in the tea point and planting cleverly added into the modular furniture.
From the initial strategy work that took place to the project handover, Peldon Rose worked closely with MAXIS GBN, ensuring open, transparent communication throughout. Despite difficulties presented by the pandemic, Peldon Rose overcame these challenges, adapting the design where necessary. The team made sure to guide the client through the changes, showing them the functionality of the new space.
Patsy Langridge, Global Director, Marketing & Digital commented, “It was great to work with Peldon Rose. From the very first, they understood the culture of MAXIS and saw what we wanted to achieve, delivering an initial design that made it all the way through to the final refit, unchanged. Also, I commend them on the way they drove the project and kept us on track given the difficult circumstances ensuring everything was clearly explained – we were happy to put ourselves in their hands. The most important thing, of course, was to create a space that reflected our new ways of working and that our colleagues would want to come back to, and, I can honestly say that the feedback has been universally positive. A successful partnership and a brilliant result.”
Mike Trim, Project Director, Peldon Rose explained, “From the very beginning of the project, we worked closely with MAXIS GBN, guiding them through the process and helping them to overcome any challenges faced. It was a great experience for both teams. Seeing what the space now means to the client and their appreciation upon project completion is what it’s all about and we couldn’t be happier for the team.”
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