RPMI are a national organisation providing pension administration services to over 200 clients.

To refurbish RPMI’s existing Darlington Stooperdale Offices, accommodating around 220 employees.

The project was tendered via the Traditional route, managed by building surveyor Jones Lang LaSalle and designed by Blue Sky Design. All shortlisted Principal Contractors were asked to partner with office furniture providers to meet the tender requirements for a one stop shop. Ben Johnson Ltd successfully secured the furniture package through appointed principal contractor Sendrig Construction. The project was divided into six phases which involved refurbishing each wing of the building’s three floors, over a timescale of 18 months from the beginning of 2013 to summer 2014.

Due to the complexity of the design scheme, each phase involved amendments and re-specification of furniture to incorporate changing demands in the client’s needs. A flexible approach to each phase was adopted as design layouts and product requirements were adapted.

New bench-desking from the Senator Crossover range was complimented with divider screens using monitor-arms and CPU cages, together with Clipper Mesh operator chairs and mobile bench storage units with matching upholstered seat pads for the workstations. Trillipse Motion chairs and Tilt-top Flight tables were selected for use in the meeting rooms and Casper stools in refreshment areas. Each floor was given a different scheme reflecting the main brand colours of RPMI; pink, blue and green, which were used to distinguish different areas. For the centrally located collaborative meeting hubs RPMI selected a high-back circular Hive product from Connection for both its practical and acoustic benefits and as a colour-coordinated signature piece for each open plan area.