Digital office transformation

The ideal work environment

Our brief was to transform 15,000 sq ft of vacant office space in the Maxis office park in Bracknell into a space that reflects Riverbed’s mantra.

It’s no surprise that this super successful tech company is a smart operator that aims to put its customers and employees at the forefront of everything it does. Customer-centric, curious, committed, community-minded and collaborative – Riverbed’s bible of business values became the cornerstone of this project for our design and build team.

We know that having an office that people choose to work from is a real competitive advantage.

Like many of our clients, Riverbed supports flexible working but it also wants to build a culture of communication. With this in mind, the office was designed to entice Riverbed’s roamers and nomads back into the office through a choice of settings that appeals to their different work styles.

Furniture at work

Soft furnishings in communal areas feel homely, the kitchen is stocked with snacks, games are provided in the breakout area, and there are loads of alternative workstations tucked away from ‘standard’ work areas.

Building upwards

Cutting through a solid concrete floor and building a staircase between two levels in ten weeks is no easy feat. But that’s exactly what we did!

Isolating teams on different floors can be detrimental to communication between teams, so we made movement around the office as easy as possible. Over the course of a weekend, we extracted 12 tonnes of concrete to create an opening between the two floors.

Minimising disruption

The team went in on a Friday evening, worked over the weekend and removed the last piece of concrete on Monday morning; leaving all of the neighbours none the wiser.

Choosing the perfect staircase wasn’t a happy accident either. The stunning feature reflects the natural wood and industrial metalwork that’s incorporated in the design on both levels.

Step into my office

We were asked to create a special ‘landing’ area for customers and visitors - and it’s one of designer Karl's favourite spaces. Using bold furniture and finishes, elegant lighting pendants, wood panelling, contrasting carpets and brand colours, he’s designed a contemporary waiting area and client suite.

When visitors step into the office reception, they’ll find a comfortable lounge with sofas and informal chairs set around coffee tables. The coffee bar is the perfect place to grab a drink before heading into one of the meeting rooms, cleverly positioned around the perimeter of the building to make the most of the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Top technology

An office for Riverbed wouldn’t be complete without snazzy and efficient technology. We made sure - as far as possible - that every corner of the office could be adapted into a working area. This is truly the secret ingredient of a great office design that supports agile working.

When you throw technology into the mix, your objective should always be to make moving around the office fuss-free. Whether 'docked' at a hot-desk, connecting to the cloud while in the kitchen or using the boardroom’s integrated AV for a presentation, we wanted Riverbed staff to have a great tech experience in whatever space they choose.