The new 60,000 sq ft UK headquarters of Joules in Market Harborough has won the prize for best Corporate Workplace.
The repurposed building brings the brand’s head office teams from five separate offices under one roof for the first time, praised by the BCO judging panel for amplifying its distinctive heritage and optimising the site’s semi-rural setting. It consists of a series of new interconnecting ‘barn structures’, each with its own character, which have been specifically designed to enable the company’s move to a more flexible way of working. The space revolves around a central atrium with a structural tree at its centre, which the judges commented created a strong sense of place that respects the natural surroundings of the site. Office and studio spaces are light, airy and open plan, with breakout and specialist collaboration rooms, while the wellbeing of staff is promoted through exercise and nourishment initiatives, ‘sit-stand’ workstations and biophilia.
Boasting sustainability best practise, the EPC A energy-saving envelope strategies include high performance insulation and glazing, optimal window sizing, sun-shading and airtightness. All in all, the judges were incredibly impressed in how the designers had understood, embraced and delivered a building which directly responded to the Joules brand essence, culture and workplace strategy.
The following Monday, we were also notified that The Barn had been shortlisted for a Construction Excellence award.
Hats off indeed to the whole EDGE team for the hard work and commitment to delivering this project. And a massive thank you to Tom Joule and the client team for having faith and following your dreams.
Joules time lapse of the journey in full
View from cafe out into communal space. Internal use of the external cladding materials to continue the feeling of ‘evolved over time’. Visual connectivity between all ‘wings’ around a central atrium supported by a single tree structure column.