Work has begun on the state-of-the-art fit-out of leading law firm Osborne Clarke’s new Bristol offices at Halo, a new landmark, green office building that is part of the award-winning Finzels Reach neighbourhood.
Set to be one of the UK’s most sustainable offices, Halo is the first office building outside of London to achieve BREEAM Outstanding certification against new sustainability assessment criteria.[1]
Osborne Clarke was the first pre-let agreed for Bristol developer Cubex on Halo, taking nearly two thirds of this leading-edge, Grade A building of 116,000 sq ft. The firm will relocate its 700 plus staff from its Temple Quay office to Halo, once complete, taking the top five floors.
Strategic workplace design and build company, Interaction, has been commissioned to design and fit-out the law firm’s interior workspaces at Halo, which will support agile working practices and staff wellbeing.
Key features of Osborne Clarke’s new offices include an informal creative space to encourage collaboration, flexible meeting spaces with moveable walls and furniture, indoor gardens where people can work away from their desks, a yoga and spin studio, and a restaurant with a private rooftop terrace.
Peter Walford, managing director at Cubex, said: “We are pleased that this cutting-edge fit-out for Osborne Clarke at Halo is now underway, meaning we’re an important step closer to welcoming their team into this exciting new building. It’s also a key milestone in this major project to continue the regeneration of this city centre site, which will build on the success of Finzels Reach phase one, expanding the neighbourhood by creating much-needed new offices and homes for Bristol.”
Tim Simmonds, partner at Osborne Clarke, said: “We have worked closely with the Interaction team, who have understood our brief so well, to create a space that will shape how we will work in the future. We are incredibly excited that our internal fit-out has commenced and we look forward to seeing the standout design come to life.”
Interaction’s managing director, Dieter Wood, said: “We’re incredibly proud to have designed this flagship workspace for Osborne Clarke and really excited to begin work on the fit-out and make it a reality.
“We have worked closely with employees across the firm to really understand the way they work and provide innovative design solutions that meet their unique needs. We can’t wait to deliver this highly flexible workspace that will promote new ways of working and staff wellbeing long into the future.”
In addition to its stand-out environmental credentials, Halo is also targeting the highest ‘Wired’ Platinum digital connectivity score and has been designed to achieve WELL Core Building certification, reflecting its focus on wellbeing.
Halo’s modern design features a unique corkscrew-like staircase rising up through a glass atrium, with highly efficient LED lighting, roof-top mounted photovoltaic panels, a bike park – and even a drone landing pad. Deloitte South West will occupy 22,500 sq ft of Halo with its 600 staff migrating from two offices in Rivergate and Bull Wharf.
Halo forms a key part of the second phase of Finzels Reach, the much-acclaimed new mixed neighbourhood by Bristol Bridge and the Floating Harbour.
The Halo scheme is being delivered by property developer and urban regenerator Cubex, which secured a major forward funding deal with Tesco Pension Investment. It is located on the former fire station site and will be accompanied by 231 build-to-rent homes and 66 affordable homes.
[1] Halo has achieved BREEAM Outstanding accreditation for ‘Shell & Core’ and ‘Cat A Fit Out’, meeting new sustainability assessment criteria. It has scored 90.3% and 87.4% respectively. This combined score is the second-best score to be awarded in the UK to date, and the first development outside of London to achieve it.
Image: Concept design image for Osborne Clarke’s offices at Halo. For illustrative purposes only