Eagle House

Location
Bristol
Client
Immediate Media
Completion
2019

Refurbished to support collaborative and flexible working

Eagle House was built in the 1930s in the heart of Bristol’s city centre. It sits adjacent to the Grade I listed St Stephen’s Church within a prominent conservation area as well as within close proximity to the Cenotaph on Colston Avenue.

The client, Immediate Media, wanted to relocate 500 of their staff from a disjointed office space into a single premises that celebrates their collaborative working ethos and creative employees.

With such a large workforce using the building, an extra storey has been designed to accommodate the growing numbers. A zinc clad mansard roof blends perfectly alongside the adjacent St Stephen’s House. Sensitivity to the vistas across the city centre to the church behind was a key influence on the design.

The main entrance has been redesigned to provide a statement. Taking influence from the Art Deco style of neighbouring buildings, a new perforated metal screen sits in front of the new reception space. The aim is to create a beacon along the street to reflect the creative nature of the client and the history of the building.

By taking the existing external courtyard and enclosing it with the new roof storey, a full height atrium has been created to provide the building with a new main circulation core. This new core allows for the staff to work more collaboratively with one another, providing direct visual contact across all floors.

An auditorium cuts into the ground floor, opening up the basement to the rest of the building. This provides the occupiers with the opportunity for a flexible working environment throughout the building.