Take a stroll through HB Reavis’ UK office and see our smart building technology by Symbiosy

As an international workspace provider who designs, builds and manages workspaces, we endeavour to enhance employee wellbeing and performance. We think of the workspace as a service and so are putting ideas to the test within our own offices, including at our UK headquarters in 33 Central.

The solutions we have created range from workspace design through to our co-work concept, HubHub – and our latest solution is our tech and sensory platform Symbiosy. Symbiosy gathers data from indoor monitoring facilitating insights related to user experience, space utilisation and indoor environmental factors which can inform our future workspace design.

By having this smart building technology in our office, we can see first-hand what solutions will work best for our own occupiers. Take a tour of our office and see how these solutions are being delivered.

Navigate your way through our UK workspace. Simply click on the arrows to get yourself moving or drag with a click of your mouse to experience a 360° view. You’ll also see that certain parts of the office have circular tags, which you click on to find out more about the solutions that we have in place and how they can help to monitor the health and wellbeing of our employees.

What you’ll see when you move around the space:

Welcome, come in!

The Waterloo meeting room

Turn left from reception and you’ll find a spacious and flexible meeting room that’s fittingly dedicated to our largest UK project to date – the redevelopment of Elizabeth House in Waterloo.

Break out spaces

We love our office, we think it’s pretty cool and our breakout space is a testament to this. But like everything in our office, there’s science behind these spaces, so head over to the area by the kitchen to find out more.

Water purifiers / filter taps

Don’t be distracted by the beer tap – the water filter taps on show are far more important (yes, really). The two water taps serve chilled, room temperature, sparkling, warm and boiling water, which will not only reduce the need for bottled water, but research has shown will also help to improve productivity by up to 14% by keeping everyone properly hydrated! Head into our kitchen, located just around the corner on the right as you walk in, to hear how keeping hydrated can help improve your health and performance.

‘Talks inspired by HB Reavis’

Talks, our inspiring conference series is where we endeavour to challenge thinking and open minds! Look out for the screen in the kitchen breakout space for a sneak peek at our latest London event.

CO2 sensors

If you haven’t spotted them throughout, heading into our workspace, you will see our CO2 sensors. All rooms assess indoor environments for CO2, noise, luminance, temperature and VOC levels. An alert system then suggests how users might improve the environment in certain conditions. Controlling CO2 is good for the planet and good for our health too. Pollutants and dust increase CO2 levels in our blood and decrease oxygen saturation which directly impacts our efficiency levels. Turn right as your walk in and have a peek into the meeting room on the right-hand side to find one of our sensors hiding in the corner.

Air filtration systems

Look up! Our exposed air vents give a certain urban chic to our offices but play one of the most important roles of all of the inventions we have. If a room’s C02 levels rise above 800ppm – the point where it affects employees’ wellbeing and productivity – the air filters will kick in to replenish and clean the air and reduce pollution.

Circadian lighting

Don’t be blinded by the lights – they’re very much a part of what helps improve employee wellbeing. A good design of artificial light, illumination, and interior materials can improve the working environment, mood, health problems and employee satisfaction. Head into the central working area and look up to the ceiling lights to find out more.

Symbiosy in action

Each meeting room has an iPad with the Symbiosy dashboard to give you optimum insight and control of your environment. Click on the tag to find out how they’re helping keep our office efficient and healthy. Symbiosy is our sensory platform we have developed to provide insights into user experiences, space utilisation and environmental factors with the aim to improve the efficiency of users and their wellness. You can find out more about this platform by turning to the totem in the middle of our office.

Standing desks

On average a person spends 67 days a year sitting at their desks – and we don’t think that’s a stat to be proud of. Did you know, standing desks and adjustable workstations improve work productivity, quality and efficiency? Standing at work adds up to about 50 calories an hour. If you stand for three hours a day for five days that’s around 750 calories burnt! Find a taller desk and click on the tag to see how we’re getting people out of their seats.

Design inspired by biophilia

Scattered throughout our offices is a variety of green spaces, filled with plants and references to nature. Research shows that people have an innate craving for contact with nature, so incorporating biophilic design principles in our design enables us to create healthier workspace, increasing focus by 15%. That’s why our workspaces include spaces for sheltered focus zones, natural materials and planting.

Smaller meeting rooms for focused work

Need a space to zone in? Contrary to popular opinion, sometimes this kind of behaviour should be encouraged! Take a sneak peek into the back-right corner of our workspace to find out how we are helping people find their focus.

Agile working style

Freedom to roam is what our office is all about! It has made a dramatic improvement to our working lifestyles. Find out more about our hot desking strategy by clicking on the lockers, just to the right as you walk in.

Our UK headquarters has been designed to inspire a collaborative working environment by creating a space that breaks down departmental silos and enhances team communication – so that we can focus on delivering projects and services for our clients.

We hope you enjoyed the tour!