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When reputation is everything

Reputation is everything; no-one knows this old adage better than a lawyer. Our fit out for Legal 500 firm, Walker Morris, will firmly cement the company’s name as innovative, collaborative and distinguished.

Project partners

  • Fox Lloyd Jones Ltd
  • Strive
  • Bright Blue Robot
  • MRB Ltd

Walker Morris’ new 72,000 sq ft campus brings together their 500 employees under the same roof for the first time, making this the largest single-site law firm outside of London.

This fit out means business, so we wanted the refurbishment of Benson House at 33 Wellington Street to reinforce the firm’s identity whilst also creating an enviable destination workplace.

Just look up

The reception truly lives and breathes the Walker Morris brand, not only with an LED logo on the rear wall, but with strips of LED lighting outlining the reception desk and shining through breaks in the rear timber wall.

Look up and you’ll see the letters W and M tastefully suspended from the double-height ceiling above the reception.

A collaborative hub

Previously spread across two separate buildings in traditional cellular offices, the new fit out brought all of the teams together in a single, collaborative open plan workspace. The space plan emphasises choice and control, allowing employees to find a space that’s perfectly suited to the task at hand.

Breakout spaces were paramount, as were a variety of agile areas for activity-based working, that included 48 hot desks and 73 alternative work settings. In addition, social spaces, quiet areas, and collaboration areas were critical to providing the right areas to allow Walker Morris’ associates the freedom to think and work creatively.

Details that matter

To really maximise this wonderful space, all the shared social areas on the ground floor, including the newly-built Ts & Cs Café, are oriented towards the landscaped terrace with direct access to the lawn. The central breakout hubs on each of the further three floors also face the garden to take advantage of the green outlook.

A minimal material palette of timber and bronze was selected for its aesthetic and classic qualities, evoking Walker Morris’s corporate values of quality and integrity. The colour palette takes cues from the corporate branding using the distinctive green for accents, lighting, and across the manifestation.

Sustainable success

The project achieved Very Good under the BREEAM Refurbishment and Fit Out 2014 scheme. This was down to close attention to detail regarding environmental credentials and the sourcing of materials, and the hard work of the entire project team.

  • Leeds
  • 72,000 sq ft
  • BREEAM

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