Contract - December 2015 - 47

Weathered wood and images
of Primark fashions add
character to the interior
(opposite, top). Employees
can use a wide variety of
meeting spaces, from large
conference areas in front of
glass-enclosed meeting rooms
(right) to casual open areas
(opposite, middle right), some
of which are adjacent to
kitchens (opposite, middle
left). The two existing
buildings that housed Primark's
offices were renovated and
connected by a new central
atrium, and a 42-foot-long
bridge links those workspaces.

Key Design Highlights
An atrium connects two
buildings in which Primark
already had offices, and the
space is the new heart of
the headquarters.
Conference rooms overlook
the atrium, which includes
a coffee bar, casual furniture,
and bleacher seating
for presentations.
Phased renovations of
workspaces in the two existing
buildings now allow for an open
office that the company says has
been transformational.
The office is designed to be
more conducive to display as
well as meetings with business
consultants and vendors.

consolidated the building access to one main
entrance, increasing the likelihood for chance
encounters. An elevator core, located at the center
of the headquarters, brings people to a second level,
where the designers placed shared amenities. From
there, employees disperse to the working areas that
flank the atrium from above.
An office conducive to the fashion business
The redesign has also allowed Primark to make
its headquarters available for new uses, including
a more open environment for outside consultants
and vendors. A press lounge, for example, provides
the company with a space to stage its latest
products for visiting editors and journalists.
Enclosed in glass and positioned along a central
corridor, the press lounge has become a highlight
of the office. "Primark can put its entire line on
display," McCann explains. "But employees walk
by that space every day, so everybody can see
what's going on, what the latest designs are."
A separate lounge for suppliers gives these busy
travelers a place to conduct business or freshen
up after a long flight.
A photography studio offers another
opportunity to stage Primark's work and allows
the company to shoot its products consistently.
An exercise studio with bicycle storage and showers
lets employees maintain healthy lifestyles amidst

busy work lives, while a convenience store that
is run by a local charity simplifies outside errands.
Collectively, all of these interior elements combined
with the progressive workspaces help Primark
to recruit and retain the best talent.
For both the client and the design team,
the refreshed office has, more than anything,
brought employees together-not just in terms
of professional collaboration but also with informal
social gatherings. For the lunch held to mark the
opening, all of Primark's employees assembled in
the atrium. As Salamon says, "they never had that
before-one space in which the entire company
could get together." c

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Contract - December 2015

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