Procter & Gamble – Reception Building

Austin was appointed by Procter and Gamble to undertake a Concept and Preliminary design for a new Reception building in Thurrock. The appointment included Austin’s inhouse multidisciplinary team of architectural, interior, structural, mechanical, public health, electrical and landscape designers to deal with Design and Planning application related matters and delivery of Employer’s requirement documentation to enable Procter & Gamble to tender the requirements.

The brief for the Reception building was to provide a single prominent entrance to the site which consists of a large scale industrial complex.

Procter & Gamble’s brief required the delivery of a ‘Wow’ factor as the first moment of truth for the site, with the Reception building to be immediately visible upon entering the site.

The accommodation included reception lobby, meeting rooms, kitchen area and company shop.

Key aspects considered in the design were Procter & Gamble’s design guidelines, planning matters associated with the adjacent listed church grounds, aesthetic and massing of the London Plant industrial site, alignment to existing adjacent buildings into which personnel move upon passing through the Reception building and location of site services.

Austin developed a design brief working with Procter & Gamble site management and Reception building users. Thereafter provided design drawings, material samples, and visualisations of exterior and interior design proposals to gain alignment with users and Procter & Gamble site management.

The design provides a building mass with clean horizontal lines and materials that addresses the relatively ‘small’ scale of the Reception building in the context of the large scale London Plant and industrial buildings.

The interior design addresses the aesthetic qualities of adjoining buildings and Procter & Gamble’s workplace design guidelines, whilst providing a welcoming space that addresses requirements for circulation, security and personnel wellbeing.

As part of the interior design delivery Austin provided full FFE specification, choosing fittings and furniture in line with Procter & Gamble’s branding and functional requirements.

The landscape design includes paving sets to an area around the building, car parking design with circular drop off area and an area of land between the Reception building and regrading adjacent church grounds, seeding and planting Whitebeam trees.

Architectural and interior design proposals were developed in collaboration with Austin’s inhouse structural, mechanical, electrical and construction management teams, ensuring the delivery of a fully coordinated design solution.

Austin supported Procter & Gamble throughout the construction period, reviewing drawings, specifications and the completed works for conformance.