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An interview with...

Hazel Norman, Executive Director, British Ecological Society

When the British Ecological Society, Biochemical Society and Society for Experimental Biology wanted to combine their separate offices into one central hub, they had only one thing on their minds; achieving a BREEAM excellent rating. Knowing we have a passion for sustainable design, they turned to Morgan Lovell to help turn their dream into a reality. Hazel Norman, Executive Director of the British Ecological Society tells us about her experience.

What prompted the move?

We had three organisations wanting to co locate into one space as a way of working more effectively together, to share best practice ideas and increase communication. We wanted to provide our staff with an office space and facilities that neither of the organisations could have afforded on their own.

What were some of the biggest challenges of the project?

This is a 1959 building and when we came to buy it, it needed a significant amount of refurbishment. Our main aim of the project was to achieve a BREEAM rating of excellent, which is no easy target in such an old building.

How did you come up with the design ideas?

Aiming for a BREEAM rating of excellent was the main driver of the design, it was fundamental to everything in this building. All finishes and materials were specified to have low VOCs (volatile organic compounds). We’ve gone for very neutral colours to fit in with the organism and biology theme of the societies that are based here.

Did you try to change the company culture/way of working through this project?

We wanted staff from each of the societies to communicate more and share best practice ideas, to become more communicative and friendly with one another.

What were some of the design ideas that really worked?

The conference area has worked out really well. We’ve got a space that can be transformed into one large lecture theatre or into several smaller spaces. All of the furniture can collapse or be stacked and stored away, so it’s a very effective use of space.
We also have a yard which is an unusual feature of the building but something we really like about it and which is now used for one of our BREEAM compliant activities; cycling. Given the occupation of the building we had to provide a certain number of covered bike racks to encourage people to cycle into work. Coupled with that we had to provide showers and locker rooms.

What took longer than expected?

We had an interesting design issue in the open plan office space. The ceiling to floor height was not great, so we spent a lot of time thinking about how to create a flexible working space without having a huge amount of space to work in.
The floors are solid concrete so there was no way we could cut anything into those floors so we put in a very small raised floor, which allowed us to put the correct cabling in.

How did you go about choosing a design and build company to help you with this project?

We looked for a company that had excellent sustainable credentials because our main target was to achieve a BREEAM excellent rating.

Can you describe your experience when your project moved on site?

The on site team were outstanding. Fantastic. We built up a good relationship very quickly and we felt very confident about the project and knew we were in safe hands.

Was sustainability important? If so, how was it incorporated?

Sustainability played a part in every area of the design process. All materials specified held a BREEAM rating and used low VOCs (volatile organic compounds).

How have staff reacted to the new space?

Extremely positive. It’s been a brilliant move. My staff (British Ecological Society) were based in Putney which was very leafy and lovely, but not very exciting. Coming here they’ve now got a very modern office which they absolutely love and a location that is very vibrant. It was a big change but they’ve responded very well.
In the last office we were split between two sites and over three floors so coming here we’ve been able to put everyone on one floor so we can all see each other which is great!
The communal teapoint has been fantastic as staff can store and prepare their lunches and have a chat over a coffee, which has really helped to build up friendships which are so important.

And finally, what was the best moment during the project?

We’re very proud of our building. The other two CEOs and myself always say every time we come into the building we have that proud parent moment of opening the doors and thinking “we achieved this”. We achieved it on time, to budget and delivered something that’s a wonderful asset to the three organisations.

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