Marks & Clerk

Marks & Clerk

With a network of 10 offices across the UK, a total of 17 locations worldwide, Marks & Clerk Manchester, are one of the UK and Europe’s largest patent and trade mark attorneys.  Due to expansion they took the decision earlier this year to relocate their Manchester office to a new city centre location at a prestigious building in New York Street.  Pleased with the work Whitespace had completed for them in the past, Marks & Clerk engaged us to refurbish their newly acquired office space on the 9th and 12th floors of the building.

A pleasure to deal with and a finished job that provides everything we hoped for and more.  We would have no hesitation in recommending Whitespace in the strongest possible terms.

Stepping out of the lift, we were presented with a vast amount of space, flooded with natural light from the full height windows on all sides providing fantastic views all across Manchester.  Our initial brief was to create a contemporary, stylish yet functional space with an impressive reception area on the 12th floor and a comfortable, professional client suite on the 9th floor.

On the 12th floor we incorporated a reception area, individual offices, open place office space and breakout areas.  The reception area needed the ‘wow’ factor but still had to remain functional to support the rest of the office.  Our design team got to work and using the vibrant corporate brand to accent the area with new signage, we created a bespoke white reception desk and comfortable waiting area.  Work on this floor also included the introduction of 27 individual offices around the perimeter of the space; we incorporated seamless glass partitions to take advantage of the natural light and to enhance the open plan space in the core of the office.  Following an extensive space planning exercise, designed to maximise the space available we created an unusual desking solution that would not only seat 33 employees comfortably it would also encourage interaction between staff.  Providing effective storage to the area was also key, bespoke and standard storage solutions were introduced centrally, at individual workstations and also in the form of an intensive mobile racking system, ensuring client files were easily accessible.

We worked very closely with the client on the furniture solution itself, specifying desk shapes and layouts that would promote communication between employees who work closely together on a day to day basis.  Under floor electrics and floor boxes were installed to ensure the office looked neat and tidy.  Individual workstations were fitted with under desk cable management system and screen mounted monitor arms, creating clean lines and increasing the amount of usable space on the desk.

Comfortable break-out areas were also introduced on this floor, which have not only given staff somewhere to relax, but have encouraged communication throughout the business.

To complete the transformation we designed and installed a client suite to the 9th floor, which incorporates folding walls, giving the client the option of having one large meeting room or three smaller rooms.  The seamless glass partitions and doors on this floor have had manifestation applied, detailing the names of famous Manchester inventors reinforcing the nature of the clients business, whilst providing all important privacy to the meeting rooms.  The furniture was carefully selected to promote the corporate image and to maximise the flexibility of the space.  Bespoke units to house a selection of refreshments were also designed and installed to this area.

Completed over a 12 week period, consideration was given to all health and safety matters affecting the building, with regular updates to the client and landlord.  Minimum disruption to occupants on other floors within the building was paramount whilst work was being carried out.

The end result speaks for itself; it provides a professional environment that is a true representation of the client’s corporate brand.