We are excited to share that our innovative corporate headquarters, Unity Place for Santander UK has been shortlisted in the prestigious RIBA Awards!
The RIBA has been celebrating outstanding work for over 180 years, with the UK Awards recognising thoughtful and creative projects for more than 50 years.
Unity Place is a new type of headquarters building for Santander UK in Milton Keynes. The mixed-use campus encourages collaboration among all building users, with a 7,000 sqm x+why co-working floor and MK University learning spaces. Almost the entire ground and first floor is open to the public, with extensive public amenity spaces, community facilities, and flexible workspace for a wide range of businesses.
Santander had previously operated out of four sites in the area, and wanted to consolidate their workforce into a single campus. The goal was to create greater unity to retain and attract the best talent, and provide significant value to the local community. LOM’s response called for a low rise 7-storey building where six flexible floorplates accommodate 1,000 desks, connected by three open atria – fulfilling Santander’s desire for a glazed office compatible with its principles of transparency and accessibility.
Santander’s TJ Richards, Future of Work + Place Programme Lead and Human Resources – Culture & Experience team, said: “The magic of Unity Place has been in the work done to nurture a thriving and sustainable ecosystem that integrates the needs of a global bank HQ with those of the local public, social enterprise, and small business community.”
Commenting on the unique aspects of the building, TJ added: “Add in a dash of retail shopping and a not-for-profit micro-brewery, and I think we’ve got something pretty amazing happening here – one that can serve as a catalyst and help grow the Milton Keynes community into something even more amazing than it already is.”
Highlighting its significance beyond just a workplace, TJ concluded:
