Qualifications Wales Office Design & Fit Out

The Welsh Government commissioned us to undertake the design and office fit out of the Qualifications Wales offices on the ground floor of Unit Q2 in Newport.

Qualifications Wales knew exactly the kind of look and feel that they wanted, ensuring that the project was a fully collaborative process. The environment needed to be a stimulating and communicative area that promoted collaboration and the sharing of ideas. The interior needed a number of informal meeting spaces for both staff and visitors, as well as areas for activity.

 

Activity based working

Rather than following a rigid layout with straight lines of desks, the open-plan area included a mixture of furniture. Each area was designed based on the function required at various stages of a project. Following the concept of Activity-Based-Working, staff take a ‘nomadic’ approach to the working week, moving from area to area depending on which stage of the project they are working on.

Breakout room

The break-out room had a city-bar aesthetic, using raw, unfinished metal finishes, a robust concrete-effect floor and feature lighting. Drop-down acoustic panels in the room served several purposes; creating a different feel for the space, dampening noise levels and concealing AC and ducting, while ensuring that they could still be accessed.

Creative hub

A creative hub, separate from the main office area but connected through a slot in the wall had its internal walls covered in writeable white-board paint, allowing staff to make notes wherever they liked.

 

The boardroom

The main boardroom, when in a full auditorium arrangement, could accommodate up to 75 people for large meetings, with a folding wall able to split the space. A training suite contained fully-flexible furniture so that it could adapt to different uses, depending on the meeting taking place. A fixed boardroom provided a more rigid space for conventional, more formal meetings.

 

Project Duration: 8 weeks
Contract Value: £365,000
Floor Area: 1,050 m2

It was very easy to work with Paramount and we developed a strong collaborative relationship during the design phase, developing ideas that fitted a tight budget together and really bottoming out what we wanted. Getting the design right meant that the fit out went very smoothly, with excellent communications throughout and a high standard of work. We always wanted to establish a modern dynamic environment and the space works really well for us; it seems to have worked for others too as visitors are always impressed with what we’ve achieved.

Philip Blaker, Chief Executive - Qualifications Wales

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