Reading is a hub for some of the world's largest companies including Microsoft and Pepsi, who have chosen the Berkshire town as the prime location for their UK headquarters. Now, one of the UK's most popular high-street retailers is looking to transform its head offices at 32 - 41 West Street, to create a new, modern workspace for its employees.

The major refurbishment involved reimagining and redesigning all floors of the existing building to completely transform the space. Once completed, 32-41 West Street will feature a new café/bar, gym, retail space and a significant office expansion. Calling it a ‘workplace of the future’ this new UK HQ spans over 130,000 sq ft of redesigned space that houses 580+ employees. The challenge in this project was to unobtrusively implement secured entry solutions that could be stylish in appearance but also provide high quality functionality.

A SOCIAL OPEN SPACE WITH STATE-OF-THE-ART SECURITY
The Architects leading the development of this new retail HQ were Morey Smith. A firm already known for designing the owner's renowned Madrid, Paris and International HQ Dublin workspaces. With a large open atrium that homes the main canteen café, all floors file around the atrium creating a bright, open and naturally stunning lit environment. With the overall theme being togetherness, collaboration and open workspace, there was a requirement for the building to be secured yet keep the spacious feeling.

“Lifeline Swings tend to be favoured by designers because they are the slimmest units in the current market. Such a slim design is aesthetically appealing and enables more lanes to be installed in smaller spaces.”

A SOCIAL OPEN SPACE WITH STATE-OF-THE-ART SECURITY
The entry solution was to implement a bespoke revolving door, combining a Crystal Tourniket and a framed Tourniket. This customised door benefits from a hidden fully automatic drive in the ceiling that provides LED down lighting for better user visibility. For security, a bank of tall glass Lifeline Speedlane Swings with a wide-lane setup was specified. James Cox, Area Sales Manager for Boon Edam, mentions, "The lifelines are always a popular choice for corporate offices, not only for security reasons but because they’re aesthetically nice to look at, which is ideal for an open environment building.”

“Single wing high glass lanes were chosen to increase the security levels at an entrance. Essentially, narrow lanes reduce the chances of more than one person getting through.”

THE BENEFITS OF ADAPTABLE OPTIONS
The new atrium design follows the trends of many city refurbishments commonly seen in London. Being a common form of corporate entry within UK cities, the security lanes are designed to sit within close proximity to the main entrance and reception desk. This enables reception to operate the lanes remotely if needed, giving access to authorised visitors of the building. Being positioned in sight of the entrance also improves the flow of regular building users, helping to alleviate congestion in busy areas.

The Lifeline Series of speed gates has been designed to link with other access products enabling an installation to level up their security through additional features such as the Lifeline Boost and Boon Touch. The ongoing product development means that customers and end users can feel confident that their security solution will always have upgradeable options.

For more information, please contact your local entry expert or visit the website at: boonedam.com/contact