The Soil Association is the UK's leading membership charity campaigning for healthy, humane and sustainable food, farming and land use.

Max Fordham worked with Askew Cavanna Architects to design a new home for the charity's headquarters. We carried out a review of services and designed the mechanical and electrical systems for the refurbishment of the four storey 1960's office building.

The client wanted the building to reflect their core values of a healthy and respectful workforce. The building has been opened up with only a few internal rooms, enhancing the amount of airflow throughout.

The M&E strategy minimised energy consumption, increasing natural ventilation to reduce the reliance on the existing refrigerant cooling systems.. Suspended ceilings were removed to increase daylight penetration and improve views to outside. The new headquarters have been fitted with new efficient LED lights as well as large areas of glazing. The internal meeting rooms have fully glazed fronts, which maintain the daylight level throughout the building, providing comfortable and quiet spaces.

Max Fordham provided Health and Wellbeing Consultancy using our own Canvas to mould the design to suit the ways the Soil Association like to work.

The new space has been well received by the client and employees and provides a number of new facilities including secure bike storage, shower and drying rooms, organic food demonstration area and cafe.