Setting the bar high for law firm workplaces

Planning ahead pre-construction

Our team used the pre-construction period to fast-track this project and meet Kingsley Napley’s crucial move in date. We got straight to work engaging with our trusted supply chain to produce detailed design and construction programmes. This was a win-win for the entire project team, allowing the design and build schedules to be carefully and fully coordinated with the procurement of all labour, materials, fixtures and finishes. During this period, whilst the developer was completing the base build, we were also able to conduct our building surveys and layout to aid a quick start from day one.

Delivering benchmarked quality

One of Kingsley Napley’s non-negotiables was an office with excellent noise control in every setting for confidentiality, acoustic comfort and to support its activity based working ethos. By working in this way, employees are able to choose their setting according to their needs without infringing on the productivity of others, whether it's for collaboration, focus or personal wellbeing. We approached this mammoth task by first setting a benchmark for what high-performing acoustics were needed.

We built and handed over a fully-functional meeting room with all the desired acoustics within the first six weeks of the project. It became a hub of all client and project meetings but, most importantly, our mock-up meeting room allowed us to carry out early acoustic testing. We were able to address any concerns at the earliest opportunity and to benchmark the quality of finishes for the remainder of the workspace.

High quality design and fit out

Kingsley Napley’s high-end meeting space is fit out to the highest standard, befitting the firm’s reputation for excellence. Stone floor finishes, an array of fabric and leather wall coverings, bespoke fabric ceiling panels, fluted joinery wall cladding, handmade tiles, specialist integrated lighting and a complex AV system; these finishes all come together cohesively to create a client-facing suite to be proud of.

On the ground floor, in the double-height reception, we used the same finishes to continue the sophisticated design thread, alongside a striking and impressive timber feature column with integrated lighting and AV.

Just beyond the reception, we built an event space with several Skyfold partitions that allow the area to be reconfigured into different, individual meeting venues or one big space when folded away into the ceiling above. We also treated the ceiling with a specialist acoustic spray to ensure that noise doesn’t overwhelm the space when in use by several different groups at once.

Meeting employee expectations

We fit out shared neighbourhoods, private working rooms and pods, dedicated case rooms, silent libraries and collaboration areas for Kingsley Napley’s employees. After a period of isolation and navigating new ways of working during the pandemic, this brand-new space is fit out to meet modern and collaborative needs and expectations. Staff facilities include a wellbeing suite comprising a relaxation room, fitness studio, and prayer or contemplation room; cycle storage, changing rooms and showers; as well as Lennie’s café - a fully-equipped restaurant named after the firm’s cherished court clerk who retired last year. We also added superior conferencing facilities for seamless at home and in office meetings.