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Morgan Lovell has unveiled a new office in Croydon for health and beauty retailer Superdrug. The 55,000 sq ft space is designed as an ‘activity-based’ working environment. “For Superdrug, this means offering employees a choice of work settings, each designed for different types of tasks – whether a small team meeting, confidential phone call or a presentation for a product launch,” Morgan Lovell senior designer Tim Polisano explains. “This new working style will help integrate teams and make the office a destination where employees can meet and discuss ideas however and wherever they feel comfortable.”
The designers used a variety of furniture and colour schemes to designate areas for different activities, including collaborative zones, contemplation spaces and ‘touch-down’ desks. Morgan Lovell’s found that 73% of all meetings in the old office included fewer than four people, so smaller meeting rooms and flexible breakout areas were provided. Central services on each floor, such as printers and tea points, are placed on the perimeter of main working areas to encourage small breaks throughout the working day, and there is a breakout space on every level and a café on the ground floor. To help employees feel more connected to the Superdrug brand and stores, the environment mimics the look and feel of a high-street, through colourful graphics.
“User experience has also been really important – we want people to enjoy working in the space and to be able to move around freely with ease,’ Polisano adds. ‘Whether moving somewhere quiet with a laptop to focus, catching up with a work mate over coffee in the lounge or taking advantage of a more formal meeting room for an important supplier briefing, we’ve focused on providing tailored solutions for each team, which took months of planning.”
55,000 sq ft Croydon office allows for different styles of working and emphasises brand’s high-street connection
