Lambert Smith Hampton (LSH) has completed the delivery of a new 60,000 sq ft headquarters for Connells Group in central Milton Keynes, bringing teams previously spread across four separate offices together under one roof.
 
Acting on behalf of Connells Group, LSH’s Project & Building Consultancy team led the project from initial workplace strategy and property selection through to design, procurement and delivery of the new headquarters at Witan Gate House.
 
The project began with a detailed review of Connells Group’s existing office portfolio in the region. Working alongside workplace specialist WK Space, LSH assessed how the business was using its existing accommodation and consulted with key stakeholders to establish the space, facilities and working environment required for its future headquarters.
 
LSH’s Office Agency team then undertook a search for suitable premises, ultimately securing approximately 60,000 sq ft across three floors at Witan Gate House in central Milton Keynes.
 
Bringing ‘Making Homes Happen’ into the workplace
 
Rather than creating a conventional corporate headquarters, the brief was to develop a destination workplace centred around collaboration, connection and employee wellbeing.
 
Following a competitive tender process managed by LSH, Woodhouse Contracts was appointed to deliver the scheme. Working collaboratively, the project team developed the concept of ‘Touches of Home’, translating Connells Group’s purpose of Making Homes Happen into the design of the workplace itself.
 
The finished headquarters combines the functionality of a modern corporate office with warmer, more residential-inspired spaces. Living room-style meeting and collaboration areas sit alongside kitchen-inspired breakout spaces, while quieter study and learning zones provide employees with different environments depending on how they want to work.
 
LSH managed the construction contract, design development, cost control and quality assurance throughout the project, overseeing the scheme from its earliest stages through to completion and Connells Group’s move into its new headquarters.
 
Dudley Cross, National Head of Project & Building Consultancy at Lambert Smith Hampton, said:
 
“This was an opportunity to create something that went far beyond a conventional office refurbishment. Connells Group had a clear ambition to create a headquarters that reflected both its people and its purpose, and that ambition has shaped the project from the outset.”
 
“The result is a distinctive workplace that brings teams together, supports different ways of working and puts employee experience and wellbeing at its heart. It was a genuine pleasure to work with such an engaged client team and an excellent delivery partner in Woodhouse Contracts to bring that vision to life.”
 
Helen Charlesworth, CEO at Connells Group, added:
 
“We wanted our new headquarters to be much more than simply a new office. It was important that we created a space that brings our people together, reflects who we are as a business and provides an environment where they genuinely enjoy working.”
 
“The ‘Touches of Home’ concept feels particularly fitting for Connells Group and our purpose of Making Homes Happen. We’re delighted with the finished space and with the way LSH and the wider project team have translated our ambitions into a workplace that feels both professional and distinctly ours.”