Equifax are a global data, analytics, and technology company. They are one of the leading global consumer credit reporting agencies. Ben Johnson have worked with Equifax for over 10 years, successfully providing design, fit out and furniture services for offices in Leeds, Nottingham, and London.

Equifax were relocating their Nottingham office to a recently refurbished building owned by Property Group CEG. As the building refurbishment was already underway, the Equifax fitout was to be completed by the landlord’s contractor whilst the design and furniture was a competitive tender managed by the client. Manchester based Incognito won the design package, and Ben Johnson were successfully appointed as furniture contractor. The final project team consisted of: Equifax, Incognito, Ben Johnson, CEG and their preferred contractor. 

Ben Johnson assigned Equifax a dedicated furniture account manager who met with the design team to ensure the proposed furniture could achieve their vision. Interior designers, Incognito, have a reputation for delivering high profile design projects and the Equifax scheme did not disappoint. The workstations were a mix of fixed and sit-stand desks, the fixed workstations had a unique curved end detail to mirror the curves and soft lines of the design. The curved desk end detail is a premium price and like any project, Equifax were looking for ideas to maximise their budget without impacting the design.

Our furniture team worked closely with Senator Office furniture to develop a hybrid of a standard desking solution, which achieved the desired curved feature at a reasonable price point. Our team had additional cost saving ideas through careful review of the tender specification, and arranged for Equifax to visit the London showrooms in Clerkenwell where all the recommended alternatives could be tested and agreed in person. Agreeing the boardroom chair was particularly challenging as it needed to meet the aesthetics of the scheme, be comfortable for long meetings and be at a reasonable price point.  Once the products were finalised, Equifax were assigned a dedicated project manager who managed all orders and installation.

The Equifax project demonstrates the importance of all the specialist contractors working together as a team to resolve any concerns raised during the construction phase. The building did not have a raised floor so the electrical grommets were being chased out, which meant once in position they could not be moved. Getting the desk electrics right was identified as critical and required detailed discussion between our furniture team, the main contractor, and the designer. A Ben Johnson appointed Project Manager was also onsite to attend the weekly project meetings a month before completion so delivery and access routes could be checked thoroughly, and the phased installation of furniture could be co-ordinated with the main contractors remaining works.

We discussed any areas of risk, which on this project was identified as fragile finishes within the CAT B scheme on both feature walls and floor surfaces. Being aware of these finishes allowed us to ensure they were protected throughout the installation process to avoid any unnecessary snagging. We also only had a window of one week to install the furniture, meaning communication and co-ordination between the main contractor and our supplier deliveries was essential. Our project manager was on site at various stages of the furniture installation to oversee the works and resolve any issues that presented themselves first hand.

The Finished Project

The newly refurbished office space provides a modern and highly equipped premises to accommodate Equifax’s 300 employees, all working in an agile manner across a choice of work settings. The office marks a step change, with no dedicated desk per person and over 60% of the space dedicated to collaboration areas, social spaces, meeting rooms, project rooms, hot desking, neurodiversity rooms and quiet rooms. The space feels open yet intimate and draws you in with a desire to explore the different work settings.

Equifax’s new office is expected to reduce the company’s energy consumption in Nottingham by more than 30%, contributing to the wider company goal of net-zero emissions by 2040. The furniture was carefully selected with this in mind, all the furniture providers including Humanscale, Senator, Frovi, Bisley and Camira have strong environmental credentials and offer upcycling and reuse initiatives.