New office interiors for Axon Cable in Rosyth
Axon purpose built their office and production space in Rosyth 10 years ago but its amazing how technology has changed the office landscape so dramatically in just a few short years.
Roll forward to 2018 and a refresh was called for – whilst still smart, the offices were definitely dated and as the business has moved with the times, desk top tech has of course reduced in size and increased in power. Along with this, the need for more collaborative spaces was evident with the different disciplines within the business needing opportunities to work away from their desk in groups.
New office interiors for Axon Cable in Rosyth
In addition to this, Axon were keen to celebrate the work they do, so the interior design team were tasked with introducing some imagery on the large wall surfaces that would deliver this. Amos Beech achieved this as well as incorporating the images on to acoustic materials to improve the acoustic performance of the space.
Acoustic graphics and dividers
Using the Samuel Bruce TeamTable benching system we were able to deliver the workstation functionality without having to increase the number of floorboxes – which was a challenge given the ground floor is heated via an underfloor heating system and a ground source heat pump.
The result is a very tidy workstation installation where all the cables supplying power and data are contained within the integral cable management system and only appear at their exit points on each desk top.
The Space Planning allows for various types of collaboration and quiet work settings in addition to more formal enclosed meeting rooms and cellular offices which offers something for everyone depending on the type of work they are doing.
As part of the office refurbishment, all of the floorcoverings were replaced which included both carpet tiles and commercial grade luxury vinyl providing a subliminal division of space and work setting.
The entire building was also redecorated which was a challenge in itself, given the double height ceiling within the main office area – lot’s of working at height but all managed safely and efficiently by the Amos Beech Project Management Team working with our skilled tradesman.
The reception area was included in the program too and again given the changing nature of work, rather than create a reception area per se, this has become another collaboration area because of course, there are not visitors 100% of the time so why not make double use of the space.
Upstairs, the staff kitchen and break-out areas were given the Amos Beech treatment and this has been revitalised with new furniture and floorcoverings to make it a place to go and relax during lunchtimes and breaks as well as having the potential to grab a quiet coffee with a colleague during the working day.
Little details were not overlooked, the Amos Beech team were keen not to replace things for replacing’s sake. The meeting room table had a good quality table but the surface finish didn’t match the new décor so rather than throw the whole thing out the top only was replaced to match in with the new office furniture supplied.
A great showcase of what can be achieved whilst the staff didn’t have to move out with the work being carried out over weekends and evenings.
Office fit out and refurbishment Dundee
When Scotland's only tyre manufacturer asked us to draft a plan for their office refurbishment and fit out in Dundee, the team here at Amos Beech set out to transform the 40 year old building.
Office fit out and refurbishment for Michelin Dundee
The Dundee plant has been transformed into a “state-of-the-art factory under the five-year investment programme. The Dundee factory opened its doors 43 years ago it is now the city's biggest industrial employer, with just 1000 staff. It manufactures more than seven million car tyres every year. The 'Bâtiment 10' or 'Building 10' hosts 70 office staff and every factory around the world has a 'Building 10' with office accommodation for similar office tasks.
Office fit out Dundee
The brief for this Dundee office refurbishment project
The need for this office refurbishment and fit out project in Dundee was clear from the outset. The building was old, uninspiring and even a depressing place to work. For a company of this stature, refurbishment was long overdue.
Michelin Dundee is Michelin’s best-in-class and is now topping the tables in efficiency and quality. Dundee was the first first Michelin factory in the world to embrace wind energy with two wind turbine generators helping to reduce environmental impact and energy bills.
It's standing attracts high profile visitors from across the world and needs an interior that you expect from a company like Michelin.
Also graduates were keen to start their career at Michelin, but the company struggled to keep staff on board. Michelin offers excellent training programs and career perspectives, but many talent left after a short period of time and when asked they mentioned the working environment was less then inspiring to say the least. You don't want that as an innovative and global company. After all “A better way forward” is the Michelin way:
The interior design and Lay-Out
The long rectangular building with cellular offices along corridors was to be transformed into a more open plan space with organic shapes. The desks were positioned off set from the walls and in the final design the wave desks were shaped nicely around the circular meeting pods.
Furniture specification
At Michelin 20 million euros are invested each year to develop new solutions for workstation ergonomics. Amos Beech have always been at the forefront of innovative seating and desking solutions and for this project sit-stand desking from Samuel Bruce, originally from Dundee was specified.
The days that working days were an important source for people's exercise are long gone for most people, especially for those that work in offices. Sedentary working applies to in between 4 and 6 hours per day in an average office and in total you are talking about 9 and 11 hours a day! A sit stand desk will bring in more variety in working posture during the day and reduces health risks. It also gives the flexibility in adjustment an international workforce like Michelin needs.
Changing between sitting and standing increases concentration and output which is essential for a best-in-class tyre manufacturing plant.
Office fit out project management
The office refurbishment was completed over two phases. We started on the ground floor and the initial works included the removal of part of the 1st floor to open up a more impressive staircase entrance reception area. A new staircase was manufactured to the designers specifications and all internal doors were replaced.
As the project was underway it was decided to build an entrance vestibule in front of the reception and despite the already tight time frame, this had to be completed within the timescales allowed.
Walls were opened up and replaced with glazed partitions to allow light to flood through the interior. These new glass partitions have been subtly branded with the iconic Bibendum and other Michelin marketing images.
The overall interior design scheme takes full cognisance of the Michelin brand and uses the approved branding colour palette to establish the Michelin identity whilst retaining a sense of belonging for the individuals who work in the space.
When the second phase started, we had to remove from the building a large safe that had been built in originally. Heavy lifting equipment and careful health and safety planning allowed this to happen without delays or damage to property or person.
As part of the overall scheme, all external single glazed windows were replaced by new double glazed units to improve the thermal efficiencies of the building and the heating and ventilations system was similarly upgraded to meet with the current standards.
The end result is a refreshing and modern interior which is already making a huge difference to the first impressions given to visitors on arrival. Going forward the Michelin management team are confident that the investment will reap rewards in terms of productivity and staff satisfaction.
Publication date: April 11th, 2017
The office in the Blyth Building is currently in use as part of the Michelin Scotland Innovation Parc, after Michelin closed it’s operations in Dundee.
Text: Sam James
Photography: Architectural Photographer Edinburgh
Interior design and office refurbishment Stirling
Little did we know that when we started working on our own corporate video way back in 2017 that we would be filming some frames in the winter of January 2018 at the offices of CitNOW in Stirling. We had just finalised the details for the interior design and were planning to start the office refurbishment in Stirling the week after.
CitNOW is a provider of video services for the automotive industry. They have recognised that customer behaviour has changed dramatically over the last few years as the information required to make a buying decision is available online which affects showroom visits. That is where video comes in. CitNOW, who's product development team are based in Stirling, have developed a range of simple to use video applications that really make it easy for their clients to use video effectively. We perhaps should have known this earlier, but nevertheless are chuffed that their online research led to us. Amos Beech were initially approached by CitNOW along with a couple of other potential suppliers and we quickly differentiated ourselves by providing a level of service that gave them the confidence that we were the right partner to engage with for this interior design and office refurbishment project.
Interior design office refurbishment and fit out stirling
The initial space that they were looking at was surveyed. From this we were able to give them a trial fit to demonstrate how much room for expansion they would have as the company is looking to grow significantly over the coming years. Whilst this space worked in principle, the location was not perfect, and we were then asked to assess the space they actually moved into a couple of weeks later. Once again, our interior design team carried out a space survey and produced a trial fit along with some high level costs to compare against the previous space. Their preference initially was to have air conditioning but whilst nice to have, this was going to be difficult to install as the building is listed and in a conservation area.
The project quickly progressed and the new space won CitNOW’s approval. Amos Beech were instructed to carry out the design and build of their new offices. A full drawings package was created, and our construction team moved on to site and got the build program underway.
For the interior design, the office furniture and finishes have been kept minimal by using light oak, whites and greys to keep the area feeling light and airy.
We installed a ‘clear erase’ backwall to be painted on. This allows the surface to become dry erase, therefore can be used with white board and chalkboard pens. By making the wall a writable and wipeable surface, it supports innovation and creates opportunities.
Capturing Impromptu Ideas
Leave messages and notices
Out-breaking brainstorming
CitNOW were concerned to make sure that the furniture they ordered for their new offices was going to meet the ergonomic needs and workplace wellbeing of their staff. After careful consideration of the various options they selected the Viasit Drumback chair for their operator seating which is winning awards for its new and innovative features. For the desking, they selected the Samuel Bruce UP2U electrically adjustable sit/stand desks with full cable management to keep the environment clean and clutter free. In the boardroom Wilkhahn's new meeting chair, the Occo, is paired with Actiu’s innovative Cool500 table system – a tool free flexible table system that allows quick and simple reconfiguration.
Break-out areas, collaboration zones and quiet areas are all included in the space as well as a great meeting room where we installed astroturf on the floor and paired this with a glass table and some great informal meeting chairs.
Vinyl graphic of Old Man of Storr made from image taken by CitNOW employee Robert Fyfe.
Date of publication: February 27th, 2018
Text: Sam James
Images: Photographer Stirling
Understandably, CitNOW are delighted with the result and we look forward to spending some time with their team at the office launch party! more photos.