Fit out, Design and Build specialists Paramount have used maritime history to inspire their new South West of England base and help revitalise a “forgotten” part of Bristol.
The company’s design team have delved deep into the past and taken a lead from local architecture in a move it is hoped will invigorate Bristol’s historic Welsh Back dock area.
The interior design of the harbourside office painstakingly reflects the area’s history with corten steel, burnt timber, rope and metalwork all prominent features all tying the base to the docks.
The focal points of the workspace are the boardroom which is hidden behind a slatted door and a bar area which resembles a boat-shaped below a rusted cage structure named the Portcullis in keeping with maritime traditions.
Local architectural firm AWW was responsible for the creative concept of the building regeneration. Developer and investor was V7.
Gareth Davies, Paramount’s Senior Designer who masterminded the design, said: “We are privileged to be able to call Bristol’s famous floating harbour the setting for our new office because it’s an area that is steeped in history.
“We’ve gone Back to the Future for inspiration to create a hybrid working environment that celebrates the bygone days of the Welsh Back area.
“A workspace that encourages professional collaboration and helps build team dynamics with a nod to the storied past of Bristol’s dock area was our priority and we’ve worked hard to turn that vision into a reality.”
Taking inspiration from neighbourhoods, it is hoped that Paramount’s new workplace will become a thriving community for their teams and industry colleagues alike.
Paramount Sales Director Kevin Mashford, who will lead the Bristol team, added: “We set out to create Bristol’s most ‘Instagrammable’ office and thanks to our exceptionally talented design and project team I am proud to say we have achieved our goal.
“With a variety of interconnected spaces our new office is a prime example of how you can take inspiration from ‘community’ and create neighbourhoods within the office where the same energy and connection people feel sitting in a coffee shop, or the same level of focus they experience in their own home, can be achieved within one space.
“These are exciting times for Paramount, and we are proud to play a part in the regeneration of the Welsh Back area which is forgotten for some people but is now really buzzing and is set to be a brilliant place to do business and socialise.”
The new workplace signals the acceleration of Cardiff-headquartered Paramount’s growth and will create up to 20 specialist jobs in the city as it targets £50-million turnover within three years.
Paramount Managing Director Richard Jones, who led a management buyout in 2018, said: “Our brilliant new office represents a substantial investment by Paramount which will ensure company growth continues to gather pace across the South West of England.
“The Bristol base is a real statement of intent and demonstrates our confidence. Paramount will strengthen its presence in a vibrant region and build on our proud reputation as a company with an outstanding record of creating places where people want to be.”
Bristol-based Bafta-nominated natural history film-making company, Offspring Films also now call the Welsh Back building home following a design and fit-out by Paramount.
Paramount, whose turnover currently stands at £33.5million, is already well known across England where it has developed office space for a number of leading companies and have revitalised 360 Bristol – formerly South Plaza – in Bristol city centre.
