CBRE new office space refreshes working culture

Commercial real estate company CBRE took two floors of Clifton Heights, one of the tallest office developments in Bristol.

CBRE used the move as an opportunity to focus on refreshing its working culture. Workplace design and build specialist, Interaction, was appointed to create a workspace that fosters staff well-being as well as collaborative working.

Oliver Folkes, Director at CBRE, said: “A workforce that is comfortable and satisfied in their jobs tends to be much more productive and can, in turn, help draw new talent to an organisation. We tasked Interaction with creating an office space where our staff would feel productive and happy.”

From bright colours and varied textures of the furnishings, to workspace flexibility and improved natural light levels, every element of the design for the new office space has been chosen to support staff well-being. Interaction placed a particular focus on enhancing natural light in the space as this has been shown in studies, such as Interface’s Human Spaces report, to play a key role in upholding workers’ physical and emotional health.

Flooring from Interface has been used to delineate zones within the space, as well as adding splashes of colour. Hayley Lambert, Designer at Interaction, explained: “We used grey tiles from Interface’s Composure collection in the Transcribe colourway in the reception, break-out areas and meeting rooms on the first floor.

"Light green tiles in the colourway Moss from Interface’s Touch & Tones have been installed at random throughout the floor, to complement the grey and add a bright splash of colour that echoes CBRE’s brand colours. Dark grey Composure tiles in the colourway Solitude have also been fitted on the staircase linking the two floors.

“The flooring was quick and easy to fit as both collections offer square tiles in the same standard size, while their non-directional patterns meant we could install them in any orientation, enabling us to reduce waste. All of this helped us to significantly cut the amount of time it took to lay the floor, enabling us to meet the ambitious six-week deadline.”

CBRE is now settled in its new offices. Oliver commented: “The look and feel of the office, combined with the fantastic view has really given the business a boost. It’s helping to transform the way we all work. Everyone on the team is impressed with the new space, and their happiness and productivity levels have never been higher.”