Illingworth new headquarters

Hazelwood House, Macclesfield – 14,800 sqft

Project overview

Illingworth Research provide a range of patient focused clinical services to the pharmaceutical, healthcare, biotechnology and medical device industries. These include mobile research nursing, patient concierge, medical photography and clinical research services. They recently moved from offices spread across Macclesfield to their new headquarters at Hazelwood House, a 14,800 sqft quality office space at Tytherington Business Village in Macclesfield. The new work space will accommodate not only their existing headcount but allow them to grow resources and infrastructure to support ambitious global growth plans.

Nova bench desks and meeting table with cloud baffles

Nova bench desks with Kardo monitor arms and Boost desktop power

Myriad breakout space seating

Hoozone office meeting pods with table

Nova desk with Kardo monitor arm, Forum meeting table

Noba bench desks and storage with Kind office task chairs

Breakout area with Twist & Sit lounge chairs

Hoozone office meeting pod with table

Z2 reception desk and Layla sofa

New office space with bench desking and meeting pods

Brief

The business is Macclesfield born and bred and this is where we wanted to stay, but in workspace more suited to us that could accommodate not only existing headcount but allow us to build out our resource and infrastructure to support our growth plans.”
– John Illingworth, Chairman

On the first floor departments aspired to a bright vibrant space with meeting and video conference spaces. Individual cellular space for management and team spaces for collaboration, breakout and quiet concentration. All departments have very different roles and these teams are currently distributed across offices across the town therefore bringing them together could create areas of noisy working.

iQ workspace were engaged to create the new headquarters working with what was essentially a blank canvas, but working with their preferred corporate colour choice. Individual questionnaires from stakeholders and business unit heads were completed and coordinated. Added to this was the need for meeting spaces, tea making points, kitchen spaces, guest catering space, reception area, a gym and staff dining restaurant.

Solution

First floor office space

Nova bench desks and storage with Hoozone office meeting pods — Workstation file storage

Discrete department spaces were created using planter topped storage, utilised to define and divide the various teams. Adding plants to storage adds oxygen to the space and absorbs sound.

Building this into storage achieves three aims of providing at the workstation file storage, demarking space and creating a green space which has significant health benefits.

Nova bench desks with Kardo monitor arms — Nova bench desks with Metalicon Kardo monitor arms

All staff were arranged in clusters utilising Nova Bench desks with desktop power and Kardo monitor arms to offer maximum desk surface area and minimising cabling. Under-desk power supplies and cables are accessed via the sliding top workstations. Sit/stand workstations were introduced where needed for particular staff. All staff are seated on very comfortable and adjustable Kind Task Chairs from Edge Design.

Nova bench desks and storage with cloud baffles — Overhead sound baffles in the shape of clouds

All workstations are fitted with desk mounted acoustic screens at 530mm high giving a high degree of privacy/concentration for the staff and superior sound absorption qualities.

Certain teams were identified as being particularly noisy and overhead sound baffles in the shape and colours of clouds were introduced to help absorb additional sound from these teams.

Nova Wood office meeting table and Fifteen Environments booth seating with cloud baffles — Fifteen Environments meeting booths by Edge Design

Quiet meeting space booths provided for ad-hoc meeting, quiet working or meeting is solved by Fifteen Environments from Edge Design. Narbutas’ Myspace utility pods are introduced to hide printers and also further absorb ambient office noise

Hoozone office meeting pod with AV — Hoozone Pods by Era

Hoozone Pods by Era, each with AV capability, were introduced to create focussed environments for meetings, video conferences or private interview spaces. As Hoozone Pods require no fixing to the structure of the building there is no dilapidation cost, the units may be reconfigured and redeployed. Zenith meeting chairs provided a contemporary vibrant feel to the meeting pod interior.

Myriad seating office breakout area — Myriad by Boss Design

Breakout space is created using Boss Design’s Myriad and offers space for ad hoc meetings and chill out space for staff. Forum tables are simple but robust and can be easily relocated to serve other areas.

Ground floor multifunctional space

Illingworth office reception area — Z2 reception desk by Quadrifoglio

Greeting visitors at the front door is a Quadrifoglio Z2 Reception desk and matching storage. Luxurious seating for arriving guests in top quality Scottish leather, glass and polished chrome is provided by Layla from Boss Design. Chosen for its timeless design and superior quality.

Nova Wood canteen dining tables with Fifteen Environments booth seating — Nova Wood dining tables

The staff restaurant was created using Nova Wood dining tables giving a less formal and softer feel to the space. Sound absorbing Cloud sound baffles from Era suspended from the ceiling helps absorb the sound of diners. Booth seating in wipe clean vinyls offer comfortable seating at the peripheries of the space and divide the restaurant from space earmarked for future expansion.

Twist & Sit lounge seating in office breakout area — Tango high back lounge chairs by Narbutas

A catering/kitchen space services all of the meeting spaces and furniture for dining and Twist & Sit high back lounge chairs included for meeting breakout spaces.

Nova bench desks with fabric divider screens in new office design

Hazelwood House already had high quality meeting rooms with folding dividing walls so these were retained. Flip-top nesting meeting tables provide an infinitely reconfigurable set of meeting spaces and using high density stacking chairs many layouts to suit training sessions, meetings, conferences or even theatre style. iQ Workspace created a space for a gym housing the latest equipment from Technogym and shower, changing and locker spaces.

A secure room created with floor to ceiling storagewall from OLS provides a mail room, complete with sorting space and pigeonholes combined with central storage but also the outward facings an information and display wall facing the staff restaurant. Illingworth’s work includes the need to record their research through photography. Using a bespoke Hoozone pod a photography studio was created which offers a quiet and secluded space for photography and videography.