DBK RELOCATES TO BESPOKE OFFICES TO PREPARE FOR MARKET RECOVERY
Construction, property and development consultancy DBK has relocated its headquarters to dynamic loft style office space, overlooking Birmingham’s Rotunda, in order to prepare for future growth.
DBK, which was established in Birmingham in 1977, is moving out of its Ludgate Hill premises in order to occupy over 8,000 sq ft of space at 321 Bradford Street. The open plan office has been designed by DBK’s internal team, with a view that it is entirely flexible and will be able to accommodate up to 70 staff, which is in line with DBK’s business model for the next five years. While DBK’s three principal directors are based in Birmingham, the company’s additional offices are located in London, Manchester, Leeds, Bournemouth and Ipswich.
Since undergoing a management buy-out in 2005, DBK’s turnover has trebled to £12million, with the number of offices doubling from three to six. The company has also won a number of regional and national awards, acknowledging the complex nature of the high profile projects that DBK has become renowned for, such as Hemisphere opposite Edgbaston Cricket Ground, Shannon’s Mill redevelopment in Walsall, the St George’s project in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter, Whitley Business Park in Coventry, Merchant Square in London’s Paddington Basin, Wembley Town Centre and a number of state of the art data centres located across the country.
To coincide with the relocation of DBK’s headquarters office, the company has also undertaken a dramatic rebrand, carried out by Brindleyplace-based design and communications agency Core. The rebrand will see the business trade as ‘DBK’ this has been done to consolidate all the offices and the various acquisitions that the management team has successfully completed over the last four years, including Back Group, Goyne Adams, Utility Cost Management Ltd and Branson, Chester & Edwards.
Tim Downing, managing director of DBK comments: “DBK has been located in the Jewellery Quarter for over two decades. 20 years ago we were one of the first commercial occupiers within St Paul’s Square and since that time the area has seen significant renewal. In choosing a new location, we are ambitious to repeat the process Digbeth is Birmingham’s next zone of significant regeneration and we look forward to contributing to its success.”
Mr Downing continued: “The 8,000 sq ft single floor we have taken at 321 Bradford Street is entirely open plan. We believe this will significantly improve internal communication and efficiency. The space benefits from amazing views across the city centre and the floor to ceiling height is over 10 feet, giving a fantastic light and airy feel to the office.”
As well as having a large office floor, DBK will also utilise the meeting space at the ground floor of 321 Bradford Street. A large open reception area with a manned cafe and coffee bar is currently being installed for use by all the staff and DBK’s clients. Gallery, seminar and lecture facilities have been created to allow DBK to stage events, aimed at increasing client communication. The building location benefits from very good public transportation and provides cycle storage and shower facilities, all key requirements when DBK was searching for suitable new premises.
As part of the fit out, which utilises the striking red and white tones of the new DBK brand, a large wall was handed over to a young local graffiti artist � a friend of one of the DBK employees. A dramatic skyline scene of Birmingham has been created from a red and grey colour palette, adding life and colour to the contemporary fit out.
Tim Downing continued: “321 Bradford Street is in a really exciting area of the city. The building is opposite Birmingham’s new coach station, which is currently under construction and the Beorma Quarter site and the existing wholesale markets site are only moments away. Staff can easily walk to Selfridges and the central shopping area.
“We are really proud of our Investors in People accreditation and moving to 321 Bradford Street has reinforced our business philosophy and commitment to our workforce in so many ways, most noticeably in the design of the space. It has set us apart from our competitors and we are confident that our clients will respond very positively.”
In response to the significant downturn in the property sector, DBK has reallocated resources to create a national Construction Insolvency, Recovery and Risk Management team, with Alan Jennions, who joined from insolvency specialists Naismiths, at the helm.
DBK’s other core services are project management and cost consultancy for a wide range of property development sectors. In addition, DBK also acts as the employer’s agent/client representative, provides fund monitoring services, health & safety/CDM Coordination, section 106 negotiations, building surveying, BREEAM rating and Eco Homes assessment, and utility cost management.