Proctor + Stevenson launch new building after £1.5M investement
We have moved into a new office!
Proctor + Stevenson have moved into our new home, following a refurbishment of a former industrial printworks in Bristol.
Proctors was founded in 1979 by founder and Managing Director Roger Proctor, who marked the ceremonial opening alongside Peaches Golding, Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Bristol.
The agency’s 65 staff have now moved from the company’s former home in Cave Street in St Paul’s to The Old Printworks in Easton Road, Easton, following refurbishment which has taken a year and nearly £1.5 million of investment.
While the 11,000 sq ft offices have had a major renovation, many features of the building’s past history have been retained and recycled, to celebrate its character and pay tribute to the heritage of the area.
Meanwhile, cutting-edge sustainability measures include the installation of a 30-kilowatt photovoltaic system on the roof using state-of-the-art 300 Watt modules designed by Proctor’s client Panasonic. The panels will produce 30,000-kilowatt hours of electricity per year, reducing the building’s carbon footprint by 15,000 kg of CO2.
Mr Proctor, MBE and a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, is the son of famous Royal Designer for Industry and boat designer Ian Proctor, He said: “What we’ve tried to do is create a space that works – an environment we can be proud of.
“Environment has been very much at the centre of our thinking with this building. A few years ago we were the first company in Bristol to have a hybrid and electric car policy. We have a cycle to work scheme and now produce our own electricity, have installed living walls.
“We are the first business in Bristol and second in the country to have coated our building in CristalACTiV, which reduces pollution in the surrounding atmosphere.
“Overall, I think that it will change the ‘atmosphere’ of the business in a very positive way. It will create a very different impression for people who come and visit us. It’s enabling us to make a statement and positive environment for everyone.
“We’ve only moved a mile away from where we were previously, into an area which is up and coming and still needs significant investment. We want to be a positive contributor to our community and get involved. This building will give us the facilities to enable that.
“This is the perfect place for us to really put down our marker as a company that is determined to push ourselves, break new ground and do things differently. Our brand is about being brave, innovators, pioneers. We were that in Cave St and this move to Easton reiterates this fantastically.”
Peaches Golding, Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Bristol, said: “Proctors has been in existence for more than 39 years – longer than any design agency in the South West and one of just half a dozen in the UK with such longevity.
“Apart from running its business, the company has played an important role in designing strategy for the South West, advising government and sponsoring regional student design awards.
“With this highly sustainable redevelopment of this building in Easton it is breathing new life into the business community here. I congratulate all involved in the project and I wish you all the best for the next 39 years in your business.”
