We believe that an individual’s place of work is vital to their motivation, values, desires and productivity. Not only can a great workspace help to retain staff; it can also attract the best people for your team. In addition to the human benefits, an effective workspace will reinforce your brand identity and perception in the marketplace, helping to increase overall business performance.

The strategic workspace consultancy provided by Stirling Grey is the first step to realising some of these benefits. We will provide you with the best analytical tools currently available to ascertain your key drivers and motives for change. What are your people’s real concerns? How do they currently work? How do they interact? What constraints do you have? What pressures are you experiencing? How do you use technology and how is this restricting you? How do individuals and teams within your business communicate? Where will you be in ten years’ time?

We assist with answering these questions and developing strategies to improve your current work environment. At the end of this stage we will be familiar with all of the key issues, and have identified the biggest opportunities. Your new space will be fully future-proofed, and overall real estate costs minimised, allowing you to increase profitability as well as productivity.

Each of our clients is assigned a dedicated Stirling Grey project designer to fully interpret your requirements in an innovative yet practical way.

We undergo full feasibility studies including block planning, test-fits and space planning to ensure you make the best use of your space. If you are relocating and looking for a new office, we can assist by advising on the merits of various buildings, providing space plans and providing fully detailed comparisons to help you make that all important choice. Just as no two companies are the same, no two buildings are the same: we can establish the vital differences to help you chose that perfect building - aiding in ensuring you consider more than just the location, rents, rates and service charges.

If you are remaining in your existing office and considering a refurbishment we are more than happy to visit and look at how you currently work, how could it be tweaked or revolutionised to create a range of options that make it a more suitable space for your staff. This could range from designing a new storage solution, to making a change to the open plan layout, creating a new breakout area or initiating a complete overhaul of your current work environment.

From initial sketches and concept drawings, designs and block plans, Stirling Grey experts can generate plans and layout drawings, 3D images and CGI walkthroughs. We will present ideas, images, exact finishes and samples to bring our ideas to life and ensure full ‘buy in’ from your team. You will also get a fully detailed specification and broken down cost plan, together with a timeline of how long the project will take, and when key decisions need to be made.

All our designs are produced with your specific building in mind, to emphasise its features. Our designs take into consideration the building’s constraints, namely its services. We insist on undertaking building services design in parallel to ensure your air-conditioning, heating, ventilation, lighting and telecoms requirements all work in conjunction with your space plan. This results in a much more cost-effective solution for you, as fewer alterations are required to achieve the finished product.

We know only too well that space is valuable, It is a precious commodity which must be efficient, productive, practical and functional. We will design the use of your space to minimise cost: cost in fit-out, cost in materials, cost in altering existing services and cost in occupying and operating the space. What continues to make Stirling Grey different is our commitment to making your space personal. For us to regard a project as a success, it has to fulfil the needs of each specific client.

When your new office is ready for occupation, it is imperative that you move in as soon as possible as you will typically be paying rent on both the existing and new premises; therefore any overlap should be kept to an absolute minimum. Being in control of the build stage of the project means we can manage the relocation aspect of your project seamlessly. Usually, we can get you in the new office quicker, by co-ordinating the last few tasks in the build timetable with our relocation team, resulting in the two activities working together simultaneously.

If you choose to use Stirling Grey, your project manager will remain the single point of contact throughout the move phase. They will advise on all aspects of the move management process, providing crates, labels, detailed timetable information and close liaison with your IT and telecoms teams to ensure everything is up and running on day one.

Stirling Grey can also offer storage solutions in its state of the art storage facility to assist clients on a temporary basis during their relocation project. We offer a variety of options such as racked storage, box storage, archive storage and inventory control which gives peace of mind that items are fully insured, accessible and safe.

We all spend a large amount of our time in workspaces, therefore it is vital that they foster a sense of belonging and comfort, whilst also promoting interaction and productivity. Furniture solutions have a crucial role to play in acheiving this. Stirling Grey’s experts can source furniture solutions globally, and as we’re not a dealer or tied to any one manufacturer, you can be assured that you are receiving genuinely impartial advice on what can be a daunting and complex area. We will work with you to determine what is important whether you are focussed on budget, appearance, ergonomics, recycled content, recyclability at end of use, carbon footprint or lead times.

The overall solution in most cases involves a range of suppliers, so co-ordination and management is key in the success of this aspect of your project. We can take full responsibility and liability for this ensuring that everything progresses smoothly and furniture is ready when your staff moves in.

Workspace furniture is typically a sizeable proportion of the overall project budget and as such, therefore it is initial that everything is right. You also want to be sure that if you ever require any additional furniture, you are guaranteed to be able to get it in the future. We will ensure future supply, and equally important – will guarantee all of our installations for 12 months, with the individual manufacturers guaranteeing their components usually for 10 years.

At Stirling Grey we understand that most businesses’ back bone is their information and the technology which holds it. We have vast experience in undertaking all aspects of IT during a refurbishment, fit-out and relocation (decommissioning, recommissioning and testing) either as part of an overall move or as a standalone project. We can share with you our vast knowledge of:

• comms room refurbishment and fit-out

• design, supply and installation of gas suppression systems

• design, supply and installation of advanced leak detection • data centre design and construction, including co-location and hosting centres

• back-up provision, UPS, n+1 switch over cooling systems

• design and build of data centres including tiers 1, 2, 3 and 4 with UPS, dual power and fault tolerant infrastructure with back up

• Tested, commissioned and certified structured cabling to Cat 5, Cat 5e, Cat 6 standard

• Whether you require a simple server room with standalone cooling or a fully integrated disaster recovery suite, we can offer advice and experience at every stage.

The workplace is changing. Employees need access to information, customers and each other anytime, anyplace, anyhow. Customer expectations are higher than ever. You need to be able to respond quickly and effectively to meet their needs. Working with you, we can offer a technology platform that supports a truly flexible working environment, drives productivity and makes your business more agile, focusing on the customers’ needs whilst at the same time building loyalty and driving engagement. Through our unique delivery approach, we can offer Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) as part of our overall project with you: a virtualised communications platform combining IP technology, UC, video, and contact centre in to a single managed service across traditional desk phones, mobiles, tablets, laptops and desktops giving your people enhanced messaging, IM and presence, web collaboration, application integration, and audio conferencing.

Financing an office fit-out project can be imperative in determining whether or not works can be completed and when. A large sum of your company’s capital does not have to be injected in the financing of your office project but instead you can utilize a leasing facility. Leasing offers you the opportunity to maintain your company’s capital whilst also getting your new office to the exact specification and standard you require. Repayments are fixed for the duration of the leasing this is typically between 2 to 5 years, this aids in accurate budgeting eliminating uncertainty brought on by the likes of increased interest rates. It also allows your bank credit and overdraft facilities to remain intact for other important future investment.

Preservation is about more than just keeping something for you to enjoy. It’s about ensuring that not only will it stand the test of time, but the impact of creating it in the first place is minimal. We take our effects on the environment very seriously, and that’s why sustainability is at the heart of all we do, from initial concept design through to construction and then on-going maintenance.

Material selection is vital, not only that items are sourced responsibly, but that consideration is given to how they are manufactured, where they are coming from, how they are being transported, the impacts of installing them, how long they last and what happens to them at the end of their life? As part of our project management process we implement a full Site Waste Management Plan (SWMP) ensuring as little waste as possible is generated.

Designing, building and managing your office in a sustainable way will bring you more than just social benefits. Reducing running costs, tax relief and positive messages to staff and the wider public can all be achieved by careful planning and consideration.

Depending on your business, project and premises, we can advise on the suitability of all the international accreditations in office sustainability such as BREEAM, LEED and Ska, and have qualified assessors to ensure our design achieves the desired rating.

Stirling Grey offers a full aftercare service to each of our clients. It is vital to us that our relationship doesn’t just end when you move in or your refurbishment is completed. Long-term relationships with our clients are built on our friendly and responsive approach to on-going support, whether you require modifications, adaptations, additional furniture, downsizing, upsizing or to discuss other future office plans.

In addition to any minor projects or small works that you may need, Stirling Grey can offer a full end-to-end facilities management service, taking total control of your property needs. We will design a bespoke planned and preventative maintenance package for you, fully itemised with a schedule of when maintenance activities are required. You will be provided with a dedicated Stirling Grey response line and if you wish, 24/7 call out. We can assist you with all areas of maintenance including:

Access control systems

Air conditioning

Building management systems

Drainage and plumbing

Electrical supplies and PAT testing

Fire alarms and sprinklers

Heating

Lighting

Ventilation