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Forget reception desks. Abandon the idea of breakout areas. And your watercooler corner is a disgrace best forgotten. That is because the era of the 'innovation bar' has arrived.
The move, now sweeping through Birmingham's office fit-outs, takes the collapse of the distinction between hospitality, workspace and leisure just one step further.
The latest Birmingham occupier to invest in the idea that an office should have very few actual desks but should definitely have a bar with bar stools is law firm Mazars. It has appointed Overbury to deliver a new state-of-the-art 12K SF office space for Mazars at Two Chamberlain Square in Birmingham. There will be 30 agile workspaces for a 200-strong team.
Overbury said the design is “tailored to suit the needs of five different generations of employees, all working side-by-side”.
This includes three types of desking (classic, campus and hotelier-style), collaborative working areas and a wellbeing lounge. But the centrepiece is the innovation bar, placed at the centre of an innovation hub including meeting and training space.
Mazars follow in the footsteps of U.S. flooring manufacturer Interface whose 8K SF base at The Colmore Building also features a prominent bar area where once a reception desk might have stood. The only things missing are a row of optics and a cocktail shaker.
“We want to create a truly exceptional experience through a workplace that will be an academy for learning, somewhere that allows for choice and autonomy, encouraging social interaction and striking a balance between work and wellbeing,” Overbury Office Design Account Manager Michele Clifton said.
The new space is expected to be completed in Q1 2021.
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