Published on:

31 August 2022

Updated on:

02 September 2022

Read time:

3 minutes

Leading interior design consultancy Office Principles has completed the first office fit out at a major new science and technology park in Oxfordshire.

The firm has designed and project managed the delivery of a new 6,790 sq ft regional head office at Oxford Technology Park in Kidlington for award-winning homebuilder, Cala Homes.

Office Principles has delivered a collaborative, multifunctional workplace destination across a single floor plate, which aligns with Cala’s customer-centric culture and complements its new hybrid working model.

An open-plan layout features varying communal work areas which blend private and public spaces. They include several meeting spaces - equipped with full AV capabilities - project-focused rooms, interactive screens for creative sessions and more conventional meeting rooms with screens and presentation facilities.

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A multi use café and kitchen space incorporates two large tables, enabling people to relax, eat and take breaks together, while there is also lockable storage to promote flexible, hot-desk working practices.

The workplace features prominent flashes of Cala’s vibrant new brand, which contrasts with more covert accents of its new primary colour palette.

Its design is characterised by strong green credentials, including biophilia and a floor-to-ceiling ‘living wall’ which provides a striking arrival experience and acts as a natural acoustic buffer, segmenting the welcome lounge from the adjacent boardroom. The theme is continued externally, where there are EV charging points to encourage sustainable travel to work.

The design brief for the new HQ for Cala Cotswolds which is one of eight regional business within the Cala Group was developed by Office Principles as part of its integrated project delivery model and considered future workplace trends, agile working, culture, wellness and brand.

Office Principles worked with landlord and park owner, Angus Bates of Hill Street Holdings to coordinate the delivery of the project on behalf of Cala. The homebuilder has relocated to its new workplace from existing premises in Solihull.

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Stephen Parsons, managing director of Office Principles, said:

We are very pleased to have delivered the first office fit out at Oxford Technology Park. Covid has changed the way that many businesses work and Cala is no exception. The company wanted to engage the skills of an independent design house, specialising in office and workplace, to realise the vision it had for its new home. They saw the benefit of our integrated project delivery methodology, which delivers architectural services and project delivery, as a turn-key solution. We’ve been working in partnership since 2021 and collectively we’re excited that the outcomes of this project will positively transform the way Cala Cotswolds and its team operates in its workplace.

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Andrew Dicker, managing director of Cala Cotswolds said:

The office move creates a real opportunity to strengthen our focus as a business across the region, whilst re-imagining the purpose and profile of our office by adapting to new ways of working. Our aim was to create a more welcoming, collaborative space which meets the needs of employees and stakeholders, both now and in the future. When it comes to designing our sites and homes, we take it very seriously, and it was no different for our workspace – we had to be meticulous down to every detail and practice what we preach. The outcome is a carefully crafted space, which is an ideal setting for our teams to get together, collaborate and innovate.

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Oxford Technology Park is a new 400,000 sq ft campus development comprising Grade A offices and hi-tech buildings arranged along a central tree-lined avenue.

The 21.5 acre site lies adjacent to London (Oxford) Airport and a short distance from the new Oxford Parkway Station and Oxford City Centre, with easy access to junction 9 of the M40 motorway.