We’re moving! The BES buys new offices in London
We’re delighted to announce that the British Ecological Society will be moving into a new building this summer, which will give us our own dedicated home in central London.
Our new, bigger office will take the Society forwards and better serve our members by giving us the purpose-built workspace and meeting rooms we need.
The BES has bought the premises and is currently working with designers to transform the empty office into something that is absolutely right for us and reflects our science.
The location on a canal between Old Street and Angel is easy to access from major London transport hubs, there is a bike store to encourage cycling and everything is accessible for wheelchair users.
“We want to create a vibrant new home for the BES.”
Hazel Norman, BES chief executive
BES staff were given first sight of the designs during a tour of the offices. BES chief executive Hazel Norman said of the new designs: “We wanted to create a vibrant new home for the BES to better support our staff and members. It is far bigger than we are used to. Moving from our current cramped office to the new 7,000ft2 purpose designed space is like moving from being battery hens to free-range hens!”
A range of bold colours and images reflecting the natural world will be used throughout, and the five meeting rooms will be identified by different habitats: Amazon, Serengeti, St Kilda, Yukon and Gobi.
Elaine Mitchell from workplace design company AIS explains: “We referenced nature throughout the design, for example using floating birds above communal areas to dampen noise and recreating the BES logo on a moss-covered wall in the entrance.”
We are working to achieve a gold-standard of sustainability in our new location by carefully considering the origins and lifecycles of materials used in the build. For example, selecting fabrics with high wool content, paints with low levels of volatile organic compounds, timber from sustainable sources and recyclable furniture. The carpet in our aquatic-inspired meeting room is even constructed from recycled fishing nets!
The floorplan includes excellent facilities for members to enjoy when they visit for meetings and events. The flexible meeting rooms on the lower-ground floor can host board-room style meetings, informal events and seminars for up to 50 people.
BES staff visiting the site were excited to see that it will feature a range of different breakout spaces to encourage collaborative working, a terrace out onto the canal basin that brings natural light into the working areas and a staff wellbeing room.
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