Central Government Department Office Fit Out

With a long history of working with this Central Government Department, Flexiform was the clear choice when they needed to relocate staff from an old office into the new regional HQ in Leeds. Reacting to the Government’s hybrid working model implemented since Covid-19, there was a need for both traditional and flexible workspaces, which required a new approach compared to other offices in the estate. We used a combination of existing office furniture, refurbished furniture and new agile office furniture to create a truly flexible workspace meeting the needs of all users from permanent staff to visitors.

Flexiform worked alongside the Government Departments National Project Sponsor, David Bowen, who has delivered many successful projects with this team, to develop and shape the project goals. We were involved from the beginning of the office space designs to full relocation, reconfiguration and refurbishment of office furniture using our in-house teams. This full service from concept to installation provided a seamless office fit out process for the client.

Project Data

CLIENT : Central Government Department
LOCATION : West Yorkshire
PROJECT LEADS : Nick Saunders & Louise Fisher
PRODUCTS : FlexiGrid shelving & divider, Wilson side table, Additions pedestal base tables, office pods, solo work booths, meeting chairs, Executive flip top table, phone booths, office sofas, lounge chairs, mobile pouffes, office booths, Freestor tambour storage, office stools, task chairs, Pico office desks, office planters, desk screens.
WORKSPACES : Collaborative
SERVICES : Office furniture supply, manufacture and fit out, furniture specification, space planning, office interior design and visuals, furniture relocation, furniture refurbishment and repair, floorbox management, carpet design.

“We wanted to create a truly special environment for this new space and set the standard for investments to come across the estate. The design elevates the interior and the various settings allow our staff to work the way that best suits them and the business. It also delivers a distinct aesthetic, combining a bespoke floor design with the hybrid working furniture, which will form the blueprint for the future. Communication with the Flexiform team has been excellent and resulted in a very smooth transition from old to new.”
– National Project Sponsor, David Bowen

Office Furniture Repair & Service

To ensure the estate’s existing office furniture wasn’t put to waste, our installation teams helped relocate and refurbish their existing Do task chairs, checking each chair’s gas lifts, and replacing the seat pads and arms to ensure they performed as new. Our teams also helped to relocate their existing lounge chairs from secure furniture storage in London, plus office sofas, meeting booths and office desks, screens and electrics from their old offices. Utilising this existing office furniture helped to save money, minimise waste and ensure that estate standards were met.

Working with the main contractor under CDM regulations, we managed the relocation of floorboxes to accommodate new agile office furniture. We also introduced a new selection of carpet colours to help define the collaboration areas from the main office desking set-up.

Office pod and meeting booth installation

Agile Office Furniture

Alongside the new carpet colours and layout, we designed a FlexiGrid office shelving to define the flexible workspace. This created a decorative, visual and acoustic barrier to help separate the spaces and minimise disturbances to staff working at their desks. Influenced by domestic-inspired office design, the FlexiGrid partitioning was designed with doorways, planters, acoustic panels and shelving.

Within the collaborative and flexible workspaces, we created numerous breakout, meeting and private working areas for 1-6 people. Individual pods (both solo work booths and telephone booths) enable staff to make private calls or work individually within the main office area. Open breakout spaces were all created using existing office sofas, 4-person meeting booths and lounge chairs. This created a range of semi-private informal meeting and breakout areas for all staff to use.

Office Meeting Pods

Enclosed office pods were installed to accommodate up to 6 people for private meetings, video conferencing and team calls. The acoustic properties of these meeting pods allow for audible privacy within an open-plan space. To increase the flexibility and functionality of the space, the pods have additional “cabins” and open-fronted “carriages” to create semi-private collaboration and meeting spaces whilst using as little floor space as possible. All of the office pod and breakout spaces have been provided with power and USB outlets to align with the government’s Smart Working office goals to improve productivity and effective workspaces. Finally a small “do not disturb” area has been formed for quiet working, ad hoc use or to accommodate day visitors supplied with power and data services (including wireless charging). This area is ideal for short-term use.

Flexiform and this Central Government Department are delighted with the outcome of this agile working environment, providing a progressive workspace for modern hybrid working.