- Chris Johnson (Managing Principal of Gensler, London)

Three years ago, GCHQ was housed in more than 50 separate buildings on two sites at Cheltenham. These had become extremely expensive to maintain, and presented considerable operational disadvantages. The best solution was to combine all the divisions on one site, and the project was procured under the Private Finance Initiative.

Integrated Accommodation Services(IAS), a consortium formed by Carillion, Group 4, Falck and British Telecom, was selected as a main developer, with Gensler designing the campus to accommodate GCHQ’s 4,500 staff.

‘GCHQ’s aim was to bring all these divisions together into a modern, secure, high performance environment that would allow them to operate much more efficiently’, says Chris Johnson, Managing Principal of Gensler, London. ‘We wanted to create a building that would not change GCHQ, but would allow them to change.’

Herman Miller was chosen as single source supplier of furniture products for the new facility. The task was a complex one, involving close collaboration with all members of the consortium. Added to this, high-security protocols had to be followed at all times. A programme of mock-ups enabled Herman Miller to illustrate plans efficiently and accurately at various stages in their development.

The resulting furniture solution complements the airy, modern feel of the new building. Throughout the open working spaces, Herman Miller universal desking systems are matched with Aeron seating. And for departments with specific needs, tailored product solutions have been formulated. Herman Miller also acted as agents for equipment suppliers on the site, including Rackline, who installed more that 1,000 bays of mobile shelving, providing some 9,500 linear metres in reserve stock and archive areas.

Herman Miller has been appointed ongoing furniture provider for the new facility, and looks forward to working with GCHQ in the future.

For more information visit:

www.hermanmiller.co.uk