Gazprom Marketing & Trading Academy

project	Extended HQ	timescale	18 weeks from consultation, 12 weeks on site to occupation
location	Kingston, Surrey	staff numbers	40 staff
contract value	£500,000	area	3000 sq ft
features	Meeting and training Academy in a basement area + new open plan spaces	averages	75 sq ft per person £12,500 per person (refit & furniture) £160 per sq ft

The brief

Extend the client occupation of the UK HQ into a shell and core basement area and ground floor space.

How we met the challenge 

Fast-growing Gazprom needed regular expansion space together with additional meeting room and training room facilities. Unoccupied space within their existing HQ building was available, but needed change of use planning consent, and included a basement area without natural light.

The extended ground floor space provided a high-density open plan working space together with a breakout area & teapoint that takes advantage of views over the Thames.

In the basement the Academy area features an illuminated meeting room central to the space with sliding-folding glazed partitions that can be fully opened to create a larger group space for functions and staff events. The use of the sliding-folding partition system was a unique solution within the office interior field, and achieved a Gold Award from AIS, the trade association.

In using transparent glazed partitons and the illuminated focal centre the basement area has managed to avoid the 'dark and dingy' trap that can befall below-ground office interiors.