Office interiors

Mills and Reeve invest in its status as best 100 Companies to work for

Mills & Reeve LLP is a top 50 national law firm with 93 partners and a total staff of 800, operating from offices in Birmingham, Cambridge, Leeds, London, Manchester and Norwich.

The firm is listed in The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For 2010 and has been since 2004.

Specification and Programme

Business services company Pickfords Business Solutions has created a unique office environment for national law firm Mills & Reeve LLP at its Manchester office.

Pickfords’ Interiors division worked closely with its client to produce a tailor made, unique workspace utilising inventive thinking, flexible products and Pickfords’ national and local resources.

The size of the task

Mills & Reeves' began to rethink its workspace following a period of business growth which resulted in the need to take on new office space in the centre of Manchester. The aim of the project was to redesign the interior to achieve maximum occupancy by utilising every meter of space, while allowing for future growth and expansion. The design of the interior and the furniture and storage choices had to be carefully selected to ensure flexibility into the future.

Eight week programme

The Interiors design team planned a comprehensive eight week programme incorporating all aspects of the project including mechanical and electrical works, partitioning, joinery, kitchen installation, decoration, glazing, flooring, roller racking, folding partition, blinds, installation of furniture, relocation, final fix and handover. The works were controlled and managed by Pickfords’ in-house project management and design team, which included coordination of all trades, commissioning stages, client liaison, snagging and sign off procedures.

A tailor made working environment

Pickfords Business Solutions created a tailor made working environment for Mills & Reeve by interpreting its operational requirements for the present and in the future. The proposed design incorporated Mills & Reeve’s working needs for both the client facing and back office. This was taken into account by the design team and was key in the final specification and layout. Meeting rooms, including a collaboration room for client use, were positioned around the new reception area, supported by a fully equipped kitchen facility. Access to the kitchen was also designed for both client and staff use.

A separate entrance and egress were incorporated into the design for the staff at Mills & Reeve by passing the reception and meeting rooms. This ensured minimum disruption during working hours for clients during appointments and meetings.

Within the staff area, Pickfords Business Solutions created a combination of quiet rooms and a practical open plan work space with standardised desks and screens for privacy and division for each user. In addition Pickfords provided roller mobile storage and a new business centre. The Interiors team worked closely with the marketing department at Mills & Reeve to ensure the company’s brand guidelines were adhered to, to create this unique environment.

A cost effective and environmental solution

Pickfords’ Interiors division delivered a cost effective office fit-out solution to Mills & Reeve LLP by utilising local resource and materials. The Interiors team worked extremely hard to ensure the majority of the building materials were sourced to ensure minimum environmental impact in their construction. The team followed a strict code of practice to ensure the best environmental methods and processes were adhered to. Pickfords used local suppliers and an in-house management team from its regional office within 40 minutes of the site and was able to deliver a cost effective solution to Mills & Reeve LLP.

Facilities Manager Andy Mauchline said "The Pickfords team has done an excellent job interpreting our requirements and providing a great working environment for our Manchester staff. From start to finish the project really couldn't have gone more smoothly."

Pickfords’ Head of Interiors Stuart Thacker said “The team at Interiors is proud and honoured to have been chosen by Mills & Reeve to create its new Manchester office. The project was delivered on time and on budget with the client fully operational within days of completion.'