A vibrant new space for CMS in Sheffield expansion
Over the Summer of 2020, we were successful in bidding to become the furniture partner for CMS in relocating their Sheffield office to a new building. Having worked for CMS on a range of successful projects in the last few years, we were delighted to assist in their expansion to this 47,500 sqft space across four floors in Sheffield city centre.
As well as accommodating future growth, CMS wanted to provide a Covid-safe environment for the return of their employees post-Covid. They also wanted a vibrant modern space that could help them attract and retain the best talent in the region. To do this, CMS required their new space to be flexible, collaborative and dynamic.
We worked closely with the appointed designer Natasha Cruder of Cruder Interiors, reacting to changing client needs due to the ongoing Covid situation. The layouts were designed to accommodate social distancing and the furniture was labeled as “day 1” and “day 2” to differentiate between what was needed for immediate occupation and what would be needed post-Covid.
Desk screens upholstered in fabric with antiviral properties were also chosen to add to the Covid-safe design.
By refurbishing and retaining all of the existing task chairs, we helped CMS save a significant amount of money and reduce the environmental impact of the project.
The finished office is a vibrant space with biophilic elements used throughout to promote wellbeing. The ground floor serves as a client-facing area, surrounded by staff breakout spaces. Other floors combine areas of assigned, single desks separated by storage cabinets dedicated to fee earners and banks of six unassigned desks for rotating staff. A wide variety of settings including pods, meeting rooms and phone booths are spread around to provide privacy.
We completed the installation in the middle of lockdown, adhering to strict Covid protocols and delivered on budget, with minimal snagging. Both the client and the designer were very pleased with the outcome and as a result have now involved us in projects in Manchester, Poland and Romania.
