Five Towns House

Staff from maintenance, refurbishment and new build contractor Novus Property Solutions has completed work on its own brand new future-proof headquarters in Stoke-on-Trent.

Five Towns House is the new home to more than 100 Novus employees, with 15 of them working alongside architects Ellis Hillman to undertake an intensive three-month project to create a head office centred on the wellbeing of its staff.

To ensure the new office would be a pleasant and practical place to work, the project was co-ordinated by a specially created ‘Move’ team from across the business and involved a comprehensive consultation exercise, giving all staff the opportunity to put their ideas forward for consideration. The result is a bright, versatile, open plan, modern office which encompasses different work spaces with plenty of room for Novus to continue to grow.

One of the key features is the new main entrance extension adding a vibrant welcome into the building. The steel framed addition features full height glazing to all external elevations and has been fitted out in a stylish homage to the company branding including the Novus logo being subtly represented in the ceiling and floors as well as a bespoke reception furniture and fittings, the contemporary new entrance creates a striking first impression.

As an award-winning employer, Novus was keen to put its staff at the heart of the new building. As well as designing flexible working areas, the new office also features staff showers and bike stores, as well as an inviting breakout area, incorporating bright, on-trend colours designed to mirror the café culture style.

Throughout the building, the distinctive Novus colours and the angular lines of its logo are used to create a cohesive design with a representation of the Novus butterfly logo incorporated into the décor in key areas of the building.

A vital part of the project was making sure the building was as energy efficient as possible in order to reduce Novus’ carbon footprint. To achieve this, the Novus team installed LED lighting throughout the new office, upgraded the insulation to the building fabric made the building fully climate-controlled.

The project also involved the creation of a suite of new meeting rooms around the new-look open plan office space each following the theme of the local area and with feature walls covered in historic and inspirational images that resonate with the local staff.

Stuart Seddon, chairman of Novus Property Solutions, said: “One of the main reasons for moving to a new office was to enable more staff to work in the same building, to encourage communication between teams and create an inclusive environment.

“Looking at the way staff have settled in and are interacting with each other, it’s clear that it’s been a success! I’m extremely proud of the whole team for their work on the new office, which is first class.”