At the heart of the refurbishment was the team; to reward staff with the best place to work. This meant creating an environment where its team could flourish, fulfil their potential and feel happy.

In 2015, money.co.uk was ranked the second fastest-growing business in the UK by The Sunday Times, and needed its workplace to reflect this growth and illustrate its culture. Furthermore, the comparison company needed its new, inspiring work environment to continue to attract and retain the best talent in the industry.

The design concept was to juxtapose the traditional architecture of ‘The Castle’ with a contemporary and one-of-a-kind finish. The unique building provides a characterful and quirky setting for a workplace setting, therefore the interior needed to reflect the eccentricity of the exterior. Just some of the unique design features include: a bespoke Star Wars-themed cinema complete with a popcorn machine, hand-painted suits of armour and Rolling Stones and Steam Punk-themed bathrooms.

Making the space work

The work on The Castle was completed with staff in occupation and delivered in two stages; the main workspace was completed in the first phase, and the meetings spaces and informal rooms delivered in the second. Some of the more major work included fitting a bespoke oak external staircase which links the back of The Castle to the main entrance. A feature that was removed years ago, restoring the staircase was critical to unlocking how the space worked by allowing everyone to enter into the main hub of the building.

Outstanding amenities

Interaction also gave a new lease of life to neglected basement rooms, creating two gyms, one for cardio/yoga and another for weight training; both linked to changing rooms with showers. Another basement was transformed into a completely bespoke and one-of-a-kind Star Wars-themed cinema. The cinema has proved to be a popular addition, being used as a unique setting for a company meeting, or for the team to relax and play PlayStation as well as hosting film nights.

An important part of creating the best place to work meant looking beyond aesthetic and focusing on functionality. Having a diverse range of teams, from programmers to content writers, each with varying needs, money.co.uk’s workspace had to enable people to work the way they wanted. As a result, Interaction explored the individual requirements of every employee in order to design a multitude of flexible and adaptable workspaces tailored to the needs of the team. These spaces give people the freedom to work how they want, to support their wellbeing and thus productivity.

Soundtect’s standout solutions

Wellbeing in the workplace is a term currently on everyone’s lips, and adapting workplaces to suit both introvert and extrovert personality types is coming to the fore. To meet this trending need, Interaction approached London-based acoustic consultant, Soundtect, for its expertise in creating an acoustically-sound environment within money.co.uk’s Castle for its ‘Radio Room’.

Soundtect was asked to supply Class A-rated acoustic panels to provide money.co.uk’s staff with a relaxing and quiet environment that they could retreat and relax in, to escape the hustle and bustle of the office environment.

The acoustic specialist’s solution was to provide Interaction with its 61 x 61cm Cubism panels for the Radio Room. Not only does the Cubism range offer fantastic acoustic properties, the panels are easy to clean and are non-toxic, therefore guaranteed not to irritate or react with allergies. The Cubism panels also reduce background noise levels, which was of utmost importance for the quiet, relaxing environment Interaction was looking to achieve.

Cubism is available in an abundance of colour options, and Interaction opted for Soundtect’s Tan, Charcoal and Ash tones to create a standout area, with furnishings and carpets complementing this combination seamlessly.

Innovative interaction

There are a host of settings in which people can go for informal meetings, private work, training, relaxing or socialising. This includes the ‘ice cave’ which can be used for an informal meeting, or to eat and socialise. There is also the ski lodge, which can be accessed through a secret door in the library; perfect for relaxation or quiet work.

With software and technology at the heart of the company’s business, having the best technology to interface seamlessly with its work environment was imperative. Interaction installed a SONOS in every room with iPads mounted on the walls to allow the team to enjoy a productive environment. There are also 30 TVs throughout the office, all linked to a HDMI matrix, which makes collaboration effortless. money.co.uk’s new ‘high-tech’ room boasts a 98" 4K TV with the latest video conferencing system, to allow its agile teams to communicate easily, and outside every meeting room is a touchscreen booking panel. These are linked to the email calendars of all employees for a convenient and effective system.

The cinema also boasts a 7.2 surround sound system with HD projectors and subwoofers built into the tiered seating, topped off with customisable bespoke lighting.

The finished result of the £3m investment is a fun, unique and extraordinary environment that goes beyond convention to give the people of money.co.uk the ultimate workplace. Proving that a workspace doesn’t have to just be a place for desks, it can have a discernible positive impact upon the people and the business. After nine months on site, the client is beyond delighted with the finished product that has generated real value for the company. This project is a perfect example of how by placing employee wellbeing at the centre of the brief and design you can use your workplace as a tool to incite a positive culture and enhance productivity, creativity and collaboration. The Castle is finally fit for the kings and queens of the tech world.

Commenting on the issues that arose during the project, Egle Bareikyte, Lead Designer on the project, said: “We had to be conscious and considerate to nurture the listed building. We were excited to work with, and accentuate, several original features of the building, such as the windows, archways and some original doors – these have become real statement features which reminds you of the rich history of The Castle. The building continuously revealed new and hidden secrets that kept us on our feet and provided us with unique design challenges. The damp was severe – by the time we were finished we had practically rebuilt The Castle.”

Matt Prouse, Project Manager on the project, added: “At times we felt the building was constantly fighting against us, once we’d managed to overcome one issue, another would prevail. Parts of the building hadn’t been used for a considerable amount of time, with no heating, and suffering from moisture and damp; a lot of original plaster was just falling off. So the challenge was really restoring this precious and magnificent building back into a state in which it deserved.

“Delivering a space like this was so unique, as some of the modern buildings we work on are built to facilitate a working environment, but The Castle was the antithesis. It’s astonishing to think we installed a state-of-the-art energy recovery HVAC system and completely rewired the entire electrical system into a space with no ceiling, wall or floor voids.

“One of the biggest challenges was just the diversity of trades that were involved at any given time, mixed in with the layout of the building created a challenge to manage. Considering we had up to 50 contractors on site at any moment, from 20 separate trades, spread between 38 different rooms (with little or no mobile phone coverage), was definitely a challenge. The only way to overcome this issue was with finite programming of rooms, ensuring that on a daily basis everyone was where they needed to be and weren’t being hampered or interrupted.”

Chris Morling, Founder and Managing Director at money.co.uk, concluded: “We very quickly realised that this was much too big a job to do on our own, and we made the right decision by bringing Interaction on board. They opened our eyes to what was possible beyond just making the place look pretty. The workplace adds an extra level of motivation and satisfaction from working in such a stunning and functional environment.

“I absolutely love the finished product and I’m really delighted, going above and beyond my original expectations.”