DHL Global Forwarding UK engaged us in September 2024 to provide a Riba Stage 3 design with budgets, manage the tender and project manage the implementation of the design through to completion.
The proposed accommodation at 2 Pinetrees was on the 1st floor and provided 10,480 sqft of space, it had an existing and basic Cat B fitout that needed replacing. Our brief was to create a prestigious Head Quarters for DHL Global Forwarding UK and the new office needed to be both client-facing as well as support Finance, HR, Operations and Sales functions. The DHL project team supplied us with a clear design brief, and we began by providing a series of General Arrangement Plans to showcase how best to use the space available.
DHL’s branding guidelines became a cornerstone of the design philosophy with corporate colours and image stock carefully applied for best impact.
The original brief included offering suggestions to re-use elements of the existing fitout, those that would not affect the integrity of the proposed design. The final design incorporated this strategy, balancing reuse where relevant. However, after validation, the air conditioning was flagged as end of life and subsequently replaced.
A 3D Revit model was produced during the design phase, enabling DHL’s project team to gain a full understanding of the proposal. The collaborative approach to design development facilitated a detailed refinement of the design and ensured DHL’s requirements were fully realised before the written specification and quantified budget were provided.
The subsequent tender therefore was robust, and DHL were able to select their preferred contractor based on cost, quality of workmanship and the project team. The successful contractor was Woodhouse Workspace, and the contract was completed, to a very high standard, (after an extended programme for the landlord a/c works) in 14 weeks.
We firmly believe that furniture selection is a fundamental part of the design process and during the design development phase we visited furniture showrooms with DHL to discuss the options available. The visits were informed by a quantified take off and options on the theme were provided for cost awareness. Products and manufacturers were chosen both on design and cost and the final selection included over 10 manufacturers. We offered both a formal tender and an open book supply route, and were subsequently engaged to supply and install the selected furniture with transparent costs and a declared margin.
In addition, we provided recommendations on plant and planter selection, presenting three quotations to support informed procurement decisions.
