Business Profile
Newbury Commercial Interiors: Designer gives Rebound HQ a dynamic new look
13th March 2008
When Rebound Electronics, the UK’s largest independent distributor of electronic components, moved its global headquarters to one of Newbury’s most distinctive office buildings, it turned to Newbury Commercial Interiors to design and deliver a worthy interior.
Rebound Electronics, which will turn over more than £30m this year and has 14 offices around the world, relocated its head office to Newbury Business Park as part of its global positioning strategy to support its expanding sales offices throughout the rest of the world.
The move from Basingstoke is also a return to its roots for a company with a local heritage that began in a small office in Northbrook Street and had periods in Hungerford and Weston.
Creating an interior to equal the unique single-storey glazed exterior of the building at 2100 First Avenue was foremost. However, designing a good working environment for the Rebound staff that was still sympathetic to the contemporary style of the building was challenging. Very few solid structural walls were used in the building as the steel, pavilion-like cage supporting the room allows for a largely uninterrupted open-plan environment. Dividing the space to accommodate both flexible meeting rooms and private offices also presented difficulties.
Newbury Commercial Interiors is one of several companies Rebound approached to help with their relocation to Newbury. Business systems manager Jeff Brind takes up the story: “We had progressed quite far, knowing what we wanted when I contacted three different companies, but Chris Chamberlain at Newbury Commercial Interiors was the only one who came back to us with schemes that worked and who was committed to the whole process, who understood what we were trying to achieve. He was prepared to spend time working on designs and asking us what we thought and interpreted our ideas into elegant workable solutions. I might come up with some fanciful idea, but Chris would turn it around and offer something equally creative, but that would work.”
Chris explained: “It was important to spend time at the design stage to come up with a tailor-made solution that would meet the distinctive requirements. It was quite unusual for a client to have done quite so much work towards the concept and that was a wonderful starting point.
“It is part of our business model to provide free consultation and design, providing clients with a real understanding of what we could provide for them. This consultative approach is fundamental for us and I have never understood why some companies charge for these services.”
There was a fitting symmetry with the approach of Newbury Commercial Interiors and how Rebound Electronics solves its clients’ problems, often sourcing rare or obsolete components or helping to dispose of over-stocked electronics across a diverse range of industries.
A truly stunning concept was created so that the impressive external mass appeared uninterrupted by a solid structure. The solution was a bespoke ‘hit and miss’ wall system – a custom-made, part-solid wall partition, glazed above head height. These striking white blocks appear to float within the space, providing an unobtrusive division between the sales and accounts teams, while also maintaining a light, airy, interconnected feel. Doorways stand in isolation only joined by the wave of semi-translucent glazing.
Jeff added: “We had been spread over two floors in Basingstoke and wanted a much more open and inclusive environment. The bespoke design has enabled staff to now feel part of the same company, interconnected, yet with some degree of privacy. It has maximum office functionality and appearance, incorporating the very latest in design trends.”
The director of UK sales, Neil Raggett, concluded: “Newbury Commercial
