Kennedy Wilson came to Woodhouse with a brief of needing to reinforce the Capitol Building as Bracknell's primary choice for business users. This meant transforming the key spaces of the building into vibrant, exciting and inclusive locations that reflect contemporary users requirements.
The Capitol Building in Bracknell is situated in a prominent location with a significant outdoor space, providing a strong opportunity to create a memorable space that would inspire and delight tenants and visitors. However, whilst the building had great space, light and aspect, the interiors were dated and there was no brand identity. The internal layout lacked connectivity and circulation, overall making it unwelcoming and a bad experience - lots of potential to be improved.
.webp)
With wellbeing, inclusivity and sustainability being key drivers, the design team looked at bringing aspects of the significant and enviable outdoor space into the design of the interior. This was done by creating a central 'street', lined with planters, through the ground floor space to better connect the zones and give it more of a buzz and draw in the external landscaping. The natural timbers, warm colour palettes and textures, contemporary fixtures and biophilia to help bring the outside in, and reinforce a welcoming atmosphere. The whole entrance experience was improved by removing entrance barriers, introducing a coffee bar, biophilia, and new illuminated building signage that draws you in from the external. What was previously an uninviting, dark welcome experience is now a welcoming and vibrant hub of activity.
A business lounge in the centre of the ground floor features a variety of collaboration spaces, games zones, touchdown areas and a tiered seating area for town-hall meetings. The café was upgraded; services were exposed, and by opening the area up into the reception and introducing market spaces for cakes and coffee sales, the social buzz of the area can now infiltrate the rest of the ground floor. Acoustics have been considered and the new planters, upholstered seating and acoustic curtains help control this. This has provided a new level of opportunities for meeting clients and suppliers as well as collaboration and social opportunities for tenants and employees.
The building is built around two stair cores and to aid orientation in the space, with each core decorated in different colour palettes, making the spaces instantly recognisable. To further increase the connectivity within the space, wayfinding elements such as signposting, the street layout, and artwork have been introduced. The team created a new modern brand identity (the plus sign) based around the shape of the floorplate, giving the space a much more unified look and feel.
.webp)
We also undertook a full Cat A refurbishment of the first floor, giving it a new and refreshed look and feel that would attract a broad variety of tenants. The space has been given a focal point by incorporating graphics and colours on the central walls, further enhancing its appeal.
The whole design centred around some core principles that will make this a fully future-proof and longstanding building in the Bracknell area. Sustainability considerations included reusing furniture where possible and providing only a light refresh to all the WCs. The space is very flexible, with many opportunities for change of use to suit any activity or collaboration session, or for more broader future requirements. The overall connectivity of the space has vastly improved - the people, spaces and views are now drawn into one dynamic centre.
Awards and accreditations
