In 2010, North Somerset Council acquired the former Clerical Medical office building in Clevedon, as part of their Estate Strategy agenda. Alec French Architects were employed by Willmott Dixon through the Scape programme for the fitout and refurbishment work and were able to bring additional knowledge and expertise to the project being the architects of the original building.
Although the existing building was purpose built for office use, specific Council requirements were incorporated including a general upgrade to the ICT provision throughout along with succinct, localised modifications such as a 60 person meeting room for Council/Public forums and enhanced welfare facilities to encourage staff to cycle to work.
Each of the four floors contains a mixture of fixed and flexible workspaces, team working areas and breakout spaces differentiated by coloured 'zones' with specific building elements emphasised to address issues of way finding and team zoning. The interior concept, initiated by Collective Studio, emphasises the Council's requirement for a modern, open-plan working environment accommodating flexible working practices.