International law firm Osborne Clarke has awarded a multi million-pound contract to workplace design-and-build consultancy Interaction to design its new flagship Bristol office.
Bath-based Interaction, which has been behind a number of major office projects in Bristol in recent years, describes itself as on a mission to banish boring workplaces. 
It will fit-out the interior of the new showpiece office in Halo at Finzels Reach, set to be one of the UK’s greenest office schemes when it opens later this year, as well as supplying its furniture.
Interaction’s design for the highly flexible workspace, pictured, will enable Osborne Clarke to fulfill its desire to encourage agile working and staff health and wellbeing for its 800-plus employees while also meeting strict sustainability criteria.
Osborne Clarke, which operates from 25 locations across the world, is taking the top five floors of the landmark building, pictured below, part of the Finzels Reach regeneration project.
Interaction’s innovative design for the 74,000 sq ft of grade A office space includes indoor gardens, where people can work away from their desks, a yoga and spin studio and a restaurant with a private rooftop terrace.
The striking design also includes flexible meeting spaces with moveable walls and furniture that can be used for multiple different event settings along with destination points on each level and an informal creative space to encourage movement between floors and greater collaboration. 
Privately owned Interaction, which has been creating workplaces for ambitious organisations across the South West since 1992, has recently completed new workspaces for Xledger, the global cloud-based finance software provider with its UK headquarters in Bristol, and FemTech business Elvie as well as GKN Aerospace’s Global Technology Centre in Filton.
With Interaction’s help, Osborne Clarke is aiming to achieve a WELL building standard certification for the fit-out alongside a BREEAM outstanding accreditation for sustainability for the building itself.
Interaction has worked closely with suppliers and specialists to source sustainable materials that are designed to enhance wellbeing, while the cutting-edge workplace design makes maximum use of light.
These features follow months of intensive consultation between Interaction’s design team and hundreds of Osborne Clarke employees.
Osborne Clarke’s programme lead on the project, Rebecca Plummeridge, said: “The Interaction team has really worked with us to understand and guide how we will work in the future.
“The designs for the new office have gone down incredibly well with people from across our Bristol office and created lots of excitement – Interaction have understood our brief so well. 
“We’ve loved the experience and we’re looking forward to the next 12 months to see Interaction deliver the beautiful design they’ve created for us.”
Interaction managing director Dieter Wood, pictured, added: “It’s a joy to work on projects where the client’s values and ambitions align so comfortably with ours.
“Osborne Clarke highly values the wellbeing of its people and the sustainability of its new workspace. The firm is creating a best-in-class workplace to take them into the future.
“Osborne Clarke was heavily engaged from the very beginning in both the process and the outcome, so we’ve ended up with a design that will deliver exactly what they’ve envisaged, in terms of aesthetics, usability and sustainability.
“It’s a partner and project we’re incredibly proud of and we’re looking forward to delivering a flagship workspace in one of Bristol’s best buildings.”
CGI image of Halo, courtesy of Cubex
