Why You Should Consider Refurbishing Your Office

Office refurbishment is a great way to give your office space some much needed love and attention. And, if you don’t have the time or budget for a full renovation, it can be just what you need!  Some of the benefits of an office refurbishment include: increased productivity, improved team morale, reduced stress levels and more. Read on to find out how this could work for you.

1. Refurbishing your office can be a cost-effective way to increase its value
2. It’s an opportunity for you to put your own personal touch on the space
3. You’ll feel more satisfied working in a place that has been customised just for you 
4. The process of refurbishing is rewarding and allows you to create a space that reflects who you are as an individual or business owner
5. There are many benefits from refurbishing – it will make your workspace more comfortable, provide better lighting, and improve air quality 
6. It’s not as time consuming or expensive as building out an entirely new office space from scratch

If you’re not happy with your office space, it can negatively impact the way employees feel about their work and the quality of their productivity. We know that when an employee feels like they have a good workspace, they will be more engaged in what they do for your company. 

Our team at Fusion Office Design specialises in affordable commercial design solutions to make sure that every one of our clients has a great place to work from day to day. Whether you need new furniture or just want some fresh ideas on how to improve your current environment, we are here for all of your needs. For any questions please contact us today!

What is an office refurbishment

The phrase ‘Office Refurb’ is a trade term describing the existing office interior space as its updated into better accommodation for occupants (tenants), including partitions, flooring, electrical works, furnishings, decorations and mechanical installations including air conditioning.

Typically there is CAT (category) A fit-out carried out by a Landlord, or sometimes a tenant, where the base build is mostly a raw shell with windows. ‘Shell and core’ being the term used commonly. Where a building requires much of the old fittings and mechanical services removed this can also fall within Cat A scope of works. ‘A’ refers to the work being generic, not specific to any tenant.

A Cat A building may have a suspended ceiling and lights, WCs, and HVAC. A Fire detection system will be installed. An electrical distribution board will also be fitted. The CAT A office could be occupied but there are few power sockets, no meeting rooms, often no teapoint, etc.

Recently there have been a number of ‘plug and play’ offices where a landlord will include data services, power outlets, and meeting rooms, sufficient for tenant needs but not purpose designed.

CAT B refurb works are to one single tenant’s sole requirements. A refurbishment to your specific requirements. Often Cat B scope of works will be partitioned rooms, tea points, reception and breakout areas, that turn a single large office space (the Demise) into sub-divided areas.

Sub-division then entails changes to lighting and HVAC. Decorative changes, furniture and enhanced electrical works follow on from the division of space.

CAT A work is aimed at making a building interior look smart and modern, with a set of features either making good use of the base architecture, or adding a design theme. Driven largely by the Lettings market a Cat A building is intended to appeal to prospective tenants. An ‘A’ fit-out also significantly speeds up the occupation process as lots of time-consuming work is completed prior to any letting. One downside to this is the subsequent alterations between Cat A and Cat B.

CAT B is aimed at improving all the resources a tenant will require in order to turn a tired or ineffective office interior into a space suitable for their particular office activities. The spatial design is driven by the ways in which a tenant wants to work and uses of the space. This directly stems from changes in the way the business operates compared to 5/10 years ago. A refurb then implements the alterations in the spatial and design scheme to create an interior.

Office refurbishment contract types.

There are two established types of contract for office refurbs.

‘Traditional’ is the format where an architect and cost-consultant will create the design and scope of works. Specialist consultants for M&E (mechanical and electrical) usually develop details for works alongside the architect. A client-side project manager is also a key part of the Traditional fit-out contract.

The architect usually designs the scheme to be compliant with Building Regs (Building Code) and a specialist building regs consultant will vet the scheme for approval.

Furniture can be part of the process, or handled in tandem.

‘Design and Build’ is a format that brings all the design, consultancy and compliance under one roof. A D&B company will have access to all the necessary capabilities and compliance responsibility.

As a packaged service D&B can rationalise the process (time, contact points, integration of design and specification) and moves risk more towards the contractor. Set against this is a reduction in independent advice that is more a feature in Traditional.  In broad terms D&B is an agile process best for small to medium projects. Traditional is more adept for large projects, but does require a degree of process management from the client to obtain best results. Where time is of the essence D&B stands out.

There are several standardised legal contracts available off the shelf for office fit out agreements, including JCT documents, covering both formats.

Timescales for the refurb works/ project.

Our free to obtain project timeline critical path details all the common steps in project managing an office refurb. Just get in touch and we’ll email the critical path by return.

Projects involving a relocation can be as long as 9-12 months including the building search phase, the design and costing stage, fit out alterations and occupation tasks.

It can be worthwhile engaging Fusion to carry out a survey/audit to highlight areas where a landlord may need to upgrade their infrastructure to meet prevailing regulations.

Therefurb design process often takes 4-6 weeks depending on intricacy. Bigger office schemes, 5000 sq ft or more, can take longer as there will be more information to collate, more departments to cater for, and more fit-out alterations to identify.

Contract and cost examination can be several weeks.

Purchasing and lead-times often determine a commencement date.

Compliance with Building Regulations entail communication with approved inspectors or Local Authority. If a Planning Application is involved, say for works externally, this will often run in parallel. A feature of UK building code compliance is that Approved Inspectors, not part of a local authority, can pre-approve a scheme ensuring no delay whilst a design is submitted to a local govt department.

The refurb works themselves can loosely fall into the duration of 2 weeks for every 1000 sq ft with a minimum duration of 3 weeks. Of course simple refurb schemes will be quicker, complicated schemes longer. Key to any scheme is scheduling the works around Users. A clear office would be great, but in a refurb its rarely possible. Turnaround space is vital, decanting staff to make room for works. Good communication works wonders in this scenario.

Changes to a design scheme, whilst manageable, should be avoided if you can. Likewise any aspect of a design scheme not finalised before commencement can be a cause of delay or cost overrun.

Designing an office refurb.

Possibly the biggest topic. Office Design. It carries a lot of hopes and fears. You may be changing the organisation through the office interior. The office refurb not only addresses current objectives but will have to work over a 5/10 year duration and adapt in ways we can’t foresee. Individual staff and teams will want bottlenecks and inefficiencies rectified. On top of this the look and feel must be matched to the business culture, but often help to move that culture forward. Oh and it must stand the test of time and not be too dated too soon.

Its possible to write a book on office design. Suffice to say it’s a big part of the process.

Practical advice starts with the basics. How many people, how many rooms. How long should the fit-out last for in relation to the Lease of the space.

Regulatory aspects include designing for safety, both of construction workers and for staff in the finished office. In the jargon this is called ‘principal designer’ and describes responsibilities to design a safe interior.

Sustainable refurbishment also starts with the designer, and other specialists involved with the specification. Its crucial to outline the objectives for a scheme before design work starts in earnest.

The look and feel of a fit out is usually the fun part. A relocation can be a catalyst for change within a business, realised through interior and workplace design. Ways of working, spaces designed for biz culture, and process re-engineering, can all be captured in a fit-out design. Staff will often have high hopes for new being better, as well a fear that change could be a negative.

A designer must bring out all the opportunities available from an office refit. Design ideas often start with a desire for change and improvement. That could be the environment inside a building (too cold, too hot, too noisy). Or the layout (not enough meeting spaces). A re-fit can be a manifestation of change within a business. New office equals new attitudes. It can also be a move to hybrid working where the office supports WFH as well as physical presence.

All the wish-list ideas are ingredients for a set of design ideas, presented in visuals and product ideas. Sometimes there will be a theme or concept. Often a design may just be aiming for modern and effective. Your design brief to a refit company is the start and should bring many strands together to start the process. Clear thinking on timeline, budget, and business change requirements make for a good design scheme.

Quality of Office Re-fit. Budgeting for the project.

Quality is sometimes translated as ‘detail’. How good are the details of the fit-out, what quality level are you envisaging. Clients and designers often use mood images to determine an appropriate quality level and then develop the details of the fit-out scheme to match the perceived quality expectation.

Quality level feeds into a budget. Our fit Out Costs spreadsheet is a free to email document that breaks down the average costs of a London refit, and also offers high and low options. The achilles heal of refit is what’s called ‘carry over’. The more of the exstg office that’s retained, the more money is saved. The flipside is this detracts from the finished refurbishment, sometimes more than is envisaged.

At £45.00 (45 pounds) per sq foot (£480.00 per sq metre) the typical refit in London would equate to a mid level for quality. Anything above £55.00 per square foot of net lettable space will move into a higher quality level. Below £40 psf would be a value-engineered design, with budget constraints being a priority. These figures include design, and furniture, within a D&B format.

A Traditional format depends on the hourly cost of the architect and consultants. Whereas the ‘builders’ costs might be less, overall figures may be higher.

Quality and workmanship are two separate aspects. A marble counter is a high value material. Chipped and scratched, it’s a low quality installation.

Managing the project

Communication is key. The project manager for the re-vamp team coordinates all the trades and suppliers, and liaises with the client and any other parties such as a landlord. Cost-control and program of works typically falls to the overall PM.

The client project manager brings decision-making and cost scrutiny, representing the operational and financial aspects for the client. The client project manager will often be an office manager, facilities manager, or outsourced client-side PM.

A program of works will have a duration and sequence set out. Although the sequence of works might vary its good to have a program so that all parties can check progress. A program will also reveal any items that haven’t been assigned in terms of responsibility.

A golden principle for managing a project refers to the completeness of all decision making prior to starting work. The more a design scheme has items not approved, costs not confirmed, or full extent of works still to be agreed, the more a project can go wrong. ‘Wrong’ can mean costs overshooting, time delays, the interior not being as envisaged, or quality of work being below expectation. Get everything agreed, approved, costed and ordered, and the project is off to a great start. Leave elements to later and you may hit the rocks.

Reinstatement

Sometimes the tail does wag the dog. Reinstatement…putting the office back to the way it was when you took the Lease. In many cases that can be parked and left until handing-back a demise. On the flip side its worth thinking about reinstatement, also known as dilapidations, when considering the office renovation. Major changes need time to repay the investment. If you’re on a shorter Lease its harder to make a financial case to make big alterations only to pay again to undo all the good work. Worth consideration if you are taking a shorter duration Lease.

The 6^th Soldier.

Rudyard Kipling’s 6 soldiers includes ‘why’. Why renovate the office. A tick list starts with productivity…the office best suited to your working approach, culture and aligned with business plan aims should give you a return on investment.

Security is another significant force. When you handle data, or financial transactions, pharma and other IP, having control of your own space does seem important.

Managing an organisation, getting everyone aligned, can be a challenge. Having your updated space can support this and help get where you want the business to be.

We all work hard, and having a nice office that is efficient and comfortable shouldn’t be downplayed. Human beings need refreshment, association and collaboration. Motivation used to be the buzzword. Health and wellbeing is commonly used. Whatever the human factors an office can be deployed to good effect in this aspect.

Technology in the workplace hasn’t been mentioned so far. It’s a significant force for change. New tech has altered the office dramatically as it changes the way we work. We’re also cutting the cables so to speak. Wireless, WFH and remote working are so common we’ve forgotten what its like to have data cables everywhere…and power isn’t the umbilical it used to be now that battery technology is advancing. In terms of ‘why’, and office renovation does give you more scope to bring in tech, or react to technology progress. And that’s not going to stop anytime.

Summary

This article is a description rather than a checklist. A guide to the main aspects of an office refurbishment. We hope its useful to explain some of the background. Fusion Office design do have a checklist…get in touch and we’ll gladly email it.

Its common for construction companies to talk about their processes and alignment between client and contractor; the physical activities and project management. Stepping back from this the bigger picture is about the organisation and its plans for the future. Everything else is just a step on the way. When a fit-out starts with the business plan as it relates to a region then the project has a good foundation. That’s the way we do it at Fusion.