Partner Article

Hilton House welcomes graduate consultancy to thriving community

CERT property has welcomed graduate consultancy expert Grayce to its thriving business and leisure hub at newly transformed Hilton House.

Grayce has taken the entire first floor at the inspiring commercial destination, enabling them to accommodate up to 120 staff.

Located in the heart of the Northern Quarter in Manchester, the 5,705 sq ft space, designed by Workspace Design and Build, has been created to optimise the growing post-pandemic trend for hybrid working. Stand-out features include a training room, stylish auditorium, open plan kitchen area and breakout space, and a meet and greet reception area.

Paul Jezzard, chief financial officer at Grayce, said: “We are really excited to open the doors to our new hub at Hilton House. To meet the rising demands for hybrid working, we have created a contemporary and collaborative space, which we know our team will fully embrace.

“We have a range of formal seating as well as flexible hot desks for our people to drop in and connect with one another. The use of technology is now more important than ever and we have equipped our space with the latest AV technology. This is a massive milestone in our company’s journey and we are very proud of what we have created.”

Having undergone a major transformation recently, Hilton House has been reimagined into a new, inspiring and collaborative workspace to meet the demand for high-specification, flexible commercial space in one of the city’s most sought after locations. Grayce’s move follows the recent arrival of architects Hawkins Brown; broadband specialist Telcom; and wellbeing cafe Feel Good Club who have all opted to join the growing community and call Hilton House home in 2021.

Russell Davis, managing director at Workspace Design and Build, said: “It’s fantastic to see this contemporary office come to life. Based in the Northern Quarter, one of the trendiest and in demand places in Manchester, Grayce wanted to embody the vibrancy of the area and replicate it in the new design.

“Working from home during the pandemic has had a massive impact on what workers expect from their spaces. The stiff corporate style of the past is gone and what we’ve created at Grayce showcases exactly what today’s workforce needs to keep engaged and motivated. We’ve paid particular attention to breakout areas to encourage collaboration whilst the open plan kitchen and breakfast bar area encourages people away from their desks to create conversations and spark ideas.

“We reused Grayce’s existing desks to avoid waste and maintained a lot of the building’s original features such as the retro tiles in the reception area to enhance and cherish what’s already there. It’s a beautiful space which we know will be enjoyed and maximised by its users.”

CERT, the developer of the property, completed the refurbishment works in 2020 and moved into the entire fourth floor at the flagship site for its own growing team earlier this year .

Howard Lord, managing director at CERT property, said: “With community and collaboration at its core, Hilton House is the perfect space for the team at Grayce to come together. The finished space is testament to the vision by Workspace Design and Build to create an environment with a modern feel that promotes social interactions, whilst still maintaining the unique, original features which make this building so iconic.

“Since completing the transformation of Hilton House we’ve seen significant demand for the space with many businesses wanting to make it their new home. Despite the pandemic offering challenges for the office market, we knew our sympathetic restoration of this classic building, along with our community vision, would attract companies who wanted to create workspaces fit for the future. Everyone at CERT has worked tirelessly to bring this vision to life. We are now at 80% occupancy with only one floor remaining.

“With a fantastic location, right in the heart of the Northern Quarter, and an ethos centred around collaboration, flexibility and wellbeing, we have created an ecosystem where businesses can not only make their spaces their own, but also have the chance to come together and support each other as part of a thriving community.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Harriet Logan .