Bristol’s largest independent CRM agency opens doors to innovative hybrid-ready new office

Custom-designed office space months in the planning for nearly 80-strong team

Today, Armadillo, Bristol’s largest independent CRM agency, working with big name brands across the globe including McDonald’s, Disney and Carnival UK, is opening the doors of its brand-new office in The Distillery, Bristol. The bespoke office space was carefully designed with Armadillo’s hybrid model in mind, creating an environment for flexibility and meeting the key drivers of collaboration, culture, and care.

After two years of carefully researching, consulting, and planning, Armadillo has created a space that is designed to suit different ways of working as well as the needs of employees. Walls have been kept to a minimum to allow Armadillo to evolve their use of the space over time as they test, learn and optimise their approach – but as there’s always a need for a video call, there are a few walls to create light, bright meeting rooms.

The vibrant office incorporates an open plan kitchen that converts easily into a social, event space with a pool table, the expected desks set up ready for use, increased collaborative project spaces, different seating types and configurations, and a wellbeing/prayer room. Plus, a library wing provides a dedicated quiet area for head-down work with no interruptions. 

As part of bringing teams back to the office, complimentary lunch is provided three days a week and a variety of social activities are planned to bring the team together and continue to foster creative collaboration.  

James Ray, Armadillo‘s CEO, said “Our aim with this new space was to provide the best of both worlds, where people always have the best environment for the best work when in the office on some days at home on others. We started with a blank sheet of paper and, following extensive research within the team, industry and beyond, have designed a space that will work for the needs of the business now and in future.”

Hannah Waters, Executive Creative Director added “We chose the striking building for its bold, elegant features. We’ve balanced the beautiful internal concrete feature walls with our range of cool greys and warm vibrant oranges to ensure that, even on the rainiest day or after a challenging commute, our employees can be met with a positive palette and welcoming furniture.”

A launch event will be held at the new offices in April. Employees and guests are invited to explore the new space and learn how Armadillo will use it to continue to deliver exceptional, cutting-edge work for its clients.   

The leadership team at Armadillo worked with employees to develop a hybrid space and policy that best fit them. As well as external research among agency peers, one-to-one interviews were held with every employee at Armadillo and feedback was used to create a strategy that can evolve and develop as it’s tested and evaluated over time.  

Sustainability plays a key part in the design of The Distillery building, with features including rooftop mounted solar panels, intelligent LED lighting, water saving technology and an important emphasis on creating a healthy environment. To demonstrate this, it has achieved a BREEAM Excellent accreditation, and an EPC Grade A rating and a Platinum and Gold Certified Wire Score, each of which is a globally-recognised symbol of sustainable achievement.  

Armadillo employs nearly 80 people and is a DMA Award-winning CRM agency. It recently upweighted its data capabilities with the hires of Lucy Darbon and Andrew Sargent.

Source: Armadillo

  Agency, Armadillo, Bristol, Office, UK