One Strawberry Lane

One Strawberry Lane provides new headquarters for Home Group, a national housing association, social enterprise, and charity. The project relocated 700 employees from several offices across North Tyneside to a more sustainable location in Newcastle city centre. 

The internal fit out, a vibrant reflection of the aesthetic brief ‘Homely + Quirky, Humble + Fun’, giving colleagues a workspace experience they can’t get at home and encouraging a return to the office post Covid. The fit out allows HG colleagues and key stakeholders to engage in and grow organisational culture by living out Home Group’s values through social contribution in a new vibrant workspace community. 

The building has revitalised the workplace experience for colleagues following a switch to hybrid working, and the variety of collaboration spaces on offer are attracting community users and external business users alike.

Located in Newcastle city centre beside St James’ Park, the building wraps around the historic Strawberry Pub on Strawberry Lane. The area’s name, linked to strawberries once grown by local nuns, is echoed in strawberry motifs throughout the base build.

Its central location, with wide pedestrian frontages, invites foot traffic into a lively ground floor featuring a public café that also serves as a coworking space. Adjacent is the “Innovation Challenges Hub,” a free meeting space for community groups, designed to foster public engagement and create a vibrant, inclusive atmosphere.

Previously, Home Group were based in two buildings on the Tyneside. HQ, which had around 500 staff and the Contact Centre, which is largely phone based and had around 175 staff with a combined total area of approx. 47,000 ft². In both cases the ratio of desks to people was high and occupancy was fairly dense, at around 1:6 and 1:7. However, an increasingly agile work style was being adopted pre-Covid and staff spent 75% of their time in the office (a relatively low amount already). 

Aside from the Contact Centre which was largely dealing with customer calls, 12 other departments make up the business and bringing them all under one roof in an efficient and adaptable manner was a key aspiration of the leadership. Whilst the building being constructed for them is approx. 70,000ft², Home Group would get an operational area of around 40,000 ft² meaning an increase in density however the brief had been engineered to do the opposite by truly grasping hybrid and agile working. 

The fit-out design embraces the new norm of hybrid working, encouraging dynamic, collaborative activities in the office in parallel with independent, focused work at home. The aesthetic brief, described as ‘Homely + Quirky, Humble + Fun,’ aimed to create a home away from home. This approach accommodated staff, visitors, tenants, and even family and friends. 

The aesthetic brief fosters innovation, avoiding traditional workplace design elements such as repetition, grids, hard surfaces, monochrome and metallic finishes, in favour of homely touches like plants, curtains, colour, wallpaper, natural materials, varied lighting, and acoustics. 

The result is a hyper-flexible workplace tailored to Home Group’s current needs while planning for the future. Designing for diverse activities, working patterns, habits, and access needs that were previously spread across different business units and locations, was a fundamental challenge, especially post-pandemic. The business navigated this with a brief centred around flexibility. Innovation in the concept design of the fit out was required to manage this concept of an ever changing and flexible landscape of work. 

Sustainability was central to the project, with ambitious goals including an A-rated Energy Performance Certificate and BREEAM ‘Excellent’. The flexible design avoids fixed installations, allowing the space to adapt to changing needs and reduce waste. Materials were selected for their sustainability – locally sourced, low carbon, recyclable, renewable, and non-toxic. Biophilic elements, including a vertical green wall and mobile planters, enhance air quality and wellbeing, softening the urban setting. Carbon impact was closely managed using Overbury’s CarboniCa tool. Smart material choices, like switching sheet vinyl for rubber on the racetrack, cut embodied carbon by 14 tonnes.

Neurodiversity and accessibility were key from the start, with specialist input shaping diverse workspaces featuring muted acoustics, minimal distractions, and options for enclosure. ‘Home Hub’ teapoints and facilities are wheelchair accessible, including power-assisted doors and wheelchair-friendly seating.

Wayfinding uses well-lit, contrasting paths, supported by a spatial directory that guides users based on sensory needs. Ongoing consultations ensure the building adapts to evolving user requirements.

DLA employed several innovative strategies to deliver the design within a tight timeframe. A real-time review of the CAT A base build enabled strategic interventions that improved public access, circulation, and end-of-trip facilities. Weekly Teams sprints with the client enabled quick, informed decisions on key topics like teapoints, materials, and layouts.

A bespoke project website was developed to support live presentations, consultations, and client reviews outside formal meetings, streamlining communication and collaboration. We also utilised BIM extensively during the fit-out phase to test layouts, furniture, and storage. Weekly real-time visualisations, powered by a gaming engine, kept the client fully engaged with the evolving design.

Community and stakeholder engagement were central to every stage of the project. During construction an  86% return on the fit-out project costs was generated through social value initiatives, including apprenticeships, mentoring schemes, school and community engagement, with 375 volunteering hours donated. 

Supporting the local economy was a priority, with 65% of project spending directed to local small and medium-sized enterprises. This approach boosted the local economy, reduced unemployment, and provided training and upskilling opportunities for the workforce. 

A Community Projects Fund was established, backed by the contractor and developer, distributing £150,000 and 617 volunteer hours to 10 local charity and community projects through a rigorous application process.