BT Office, Birmingham

tp bennett has completed the largest single office fitout for an occupier in Birmingham, delivering a new workplace experience for global technology company BT within Three Snowhill. Birmingham is the first strategic Hub location to be delivered for BT as part of its ‘The Better Workplace Programme’. Providing a future-fit workplace for up to 3,500 employees, it is also the largest BT Hub outside of London.

Flexible working options cater to the diverse requirements of BT and Openreach teams. tp bennett has delivered a series of agile spaces and social hubs on every floor, including co-working on the ground floor, that are designed to bring colleagues together and encourage cross-collaboration across the business, while still accommodating focused individual work.

The colleague and visitor experience has been carefully considered so that nothing is siloed. Destination zones throughout the building encourage staff to move around the building. A staircase between levels 16 and 17 connects a restaurant and adjoining terrace to a dedicated events space, which is central to BT’s ambition to bring its colleagues together. Reflecting BT’s commitment to inclusion, a variety of welfare facilities, including multifaith, parenting and consult rooms, have also been incorporated, alongside wellness spaces. Able2, BT’s accessibility network, was invited to test the building and feedback on their experience to improve the design and ensure it is accessible to all.

Throughout the BREEAM Excellent rated workspace, tp bennett has designed floor layouts to maximise natural light and views out across the city, as well as integrating plenty of planting. In the marketplace, a double height ‘grab-and-go’ catering area, tp bennett has incorporated a large green wall. Local Midlands-based artist Tim Fowler also created two large artworks for the upper floors injecting colour and vibrancy into the atrium in what he described as “creating a neon technicolour greenhouse garden”.

tp bennett’s design concept takes BT’s well-known brand and situates it in the local context, with subtle references to Birmingham’s railway industry, canal networks and jewellery quarter woven in through artwork and furniture selection. This builds a design narrative to give the space a strong Birmingham identity while BT’s brand DNA runs throughout. A neutral palette and use of sustainably sourced natural materials create a welcoming environment and softness in contrast to the architecture of the building, and delicate indigo lighting hints at the BT brand. At reception, a portal wrapped in perforated mesh is lit to emulate the soft glow at the edge of BT’s logo. tp bennett is designing a series of other workspaces for BT in the UK and internationally, as well as leading on the creation of the construction portal.