Size

6,700 sq ft

Location

Leicester

Activity

Banking & Financial Services

Duration

8 weeks

Hybrid working has placed new demands on our office spaces, which is why we’ve worked with RSM to transform its Leicester office into a flexible and inclusive workplace.

The sustainable transformation of Rivermead House has reduced the amount of space the global consultancy occupies, while delivering more of the work settings and amenities its people need to perform a variety of roles effectively.

It’s the second RSM office we’ve successfully designed and refurbished. We’re looking forward to furthering our partnership through the continued upgrade of RSM’s office estate nationwide.

RSM is a leading provider of audit, tax and consulting services to middle market leaders across the UK and globally.

With over 3,650 partners and staff in the UK and access to 51,000 people in over 120 countries across the RSM network, the business can meet its clients’ needs wherever in the world they operate.

RSM Leicester 2

Overview:

Rivermead House provides 13,000 sq ft of workspace but a little over half of that is now required by RSM’s c.50 Leicester-based employees, who split their time between the office and home.

Our task was to reconfigure the building, upgrading the entrance, bringing the first floor up to modern standards, and enabling RSM to sublet the ground floor.

The space needed to allow flexibility in the way people work, catering for multiple uses including collaborative and focused activities. Its design would also have to be environmentally responsible, reflecting RSM’s desire to deliver a sustainable office space with green credentials.

Project completion:

The strength of our relationship with RSM has led to the creation of a flexible and inclusive workplace that maximises available space and meets the needs of a modern workforce.

The building has been opened up to allow collaboration between employees performing different roles, where no one has a fixed desk but everyone is made to feel welcome.

We’ve stripped out and remodelled the space to include new meeting rooms, a client suite and a central breakout area as the focal point of the first floor office.

It has been informed by lessons taken from our delivery of RSM Edinburgh, leading to elements such as the creation of a private wellbeing room, which allows quiet time for everything from prayer and reflection, to one-to-one meetings.

As the overall design is furniture-centric, the space is entirely flexible and can be adapted to suit RSM’s future needs.

RSM Leicester Feature

The revamped workplace has a strong sustainability story too. RSM Leicester has secured SKA gold accreditation, one of the highest standards for sustainable refurbishment spanning 100 best practice measures.

All new products and materials have been carefully selected based on their environmental credentials and we’ve reused items wherever possible. Outdated equipment has been removed, new flooring has been laid, a light toilet refurbishment and new LED lighting throughout.

By maximising the space available on the building’s first floor, RSM is now in a position to sub-let the ground floor facility whenever it chooses.

While partnerships allow greater opportunity for standardising an approach to office design across an estate, they also provide a platform for challenging each other.

It has meant that RSM Leicester contains all of the hallmarks of an RSM workplace, but one that benefits from further innovation and continues to raise the bar.

Right from the outset, working with Office Principles was an enjoyable and positive experience. OP invested significant time at the design stage to fully understand our needs and requirements and provided effective solutions to meet these. On-site project management was professional and created minimum disruption to our business, delivering to agreed timeframes and budgets. Throughout the entire project, the OP team were very professional, proactive and a pleasure to deal with and I would have no hesitation in recommending them.

Kevin Harris, Leicester Office Managing Partner, RSM UK