Farnham House in Stevenage, Hertfordshire is one of four main head offices for Hertfordshire CC.

The building had several Mechanical & Electrical systems which were over 20 years old, and in property terms were considered ‘end of life'. These required upgrading to prevent a systems failure which posed a risk to business continuity and staff safety.

A government grant (SALIX) was received in 2020 to largely fund these improvements and enable a much more energy-efficient environment by replacing inefficient end-of-life gas fired boilers with a modern electrical air source heat pump system. This will help us to contribute towards the Sustainable Hertfordshire strategy carbon neutral targets for our own operations by 2030 and make carbon emission savings above 120 tonnes annually.

Empty offices, as a result of the Covid pandemic, presented an unexpected opportunity for us to redesign the office space in line with the new, more flexible ways of working post- pandemic.

We engaged with over 670 colleagues, staff network groups, (such as disability networks, autistic groups and sensory services) and service boards, to understand their activities and how they would like to use the new building. This was vital so that we could incorporate a diverse variety of requirements into the new design. We also utilised various organisational initiatives to review and reduce storage and printing needs.

The M&E systems were being designed to fit our building by technical specialists who quickly factored in the rapidly changing air system legislation, introduced as part of the pandemic. We therefore had to ensure our systems were ‘future proofed' by installing the newest air filtration systems on the market.

It was a huge feat to get the building stripped out as the new M&E systems required the building to be taken back to its shell core; this included all furniture, IT, carpets, ceiling tiles and walls.

Here is what was removed by teams to initiate the project:

• 160 cubic yards of storage- (1760+ bags of waste)
• 751 metres of stacked paper was disposed of via confidential waste - over twice the height of the Shard.
• Services archived 790+ boxes of paper files.
• 460+ pieces of furniture were donated to schools, in-house services and Local hospitals.

Once emptied, the building works were carried out, followed immediately by the office refurbishment. Floors were completed on a phased basis, so once an area was completed, we reopened them back to staff. The project took 16 months to complete and gave us the opportunity to revaluate our existing working habits and modernise the way we work in a post-pandemic world. This redesign captures the true spirit of agile and collaborative working and has evolved into a destination office with the added style of activity-based working, creating a more relaxed feel which encourages home working to be the less desirable option.

The newly re-designed offices provide contemporary uncluttered spaces with lots of flexible breakout options including collaboration tables, café style booths, private pods, and comfy soft furnishings. Moving away from ‘archaic' desk-only workspaces, these agile working spaces are ultra-collaborative and sociable, so colleagues have the freedom to choose how and where they want to work, and all have power options for laptop workers. Professional office aspects are maintained with updated private meeting rooms and quiet spaces.

We have made desk spaces ergonomically efficient with two-height adjustable desks on every bank. Accessibility was carefully considered throughout the designs around colours, patterns, carpet textures, and quiet areas as well as increasing the number of accessible, and gender-neutral toilets and shower facilities, the introduction of a new hearing loop system and all doors leading from the main areas are automatic.

Terri Richardson is senior facilities manager at Hertfordshire CC