New London HQ for Hyperion (Howden Group)

Collaboration and agile working are order of the day at new state of the art London Headquarters for Hyperion (now renamed Howden Broking Group / Howden Group Services).

IT and AV Visioning, Design, Procurement and Project Management help the Client plan and implement workplace technologies to enable agile working, collaboration and support wellness.

Technologies

Wired and wireless infrastructure; AV and Multimedia enabling meeting room and presentation spaces; IPTV, digital signage; tech-furniture integration; interface to UC and M&E; IP telephony; mobile carrier regeneration; smart building tech including room booking; print planning.

The Client

Hyperion (now renamed Howden Broking Group / Howden Group Services) is an international insurance intermediary group with insurance broking and underwriting agency arms. Hyperion’s primary brands include DUAL, Howden and RKH Specialty and RKH Reinsurance.

The group had at the time of the project 4,500 employees based in offices across Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific and the Americas. Prior to the relocation the company London headquarters was based in various offices around the City of London, with limited collaboration and interaction between the business.

The Team

Savills, MCM, Watkins Payne Partnership, ISG PLC

Hyperion wanted to relocate from 4 existing properties across London to a new state of the art HQ at 1 Creechurch Place, close to the heart of the prestigious London Insurance district.

The 110,000 sq. ft hub would provide a place to work for 1,200 people, in a vibrant space that would promote agile working, collaboration and the health of employees.

Hyperion recognised the importance of technology in creating a building to help attract and retain the best talent. Cordless was engaged as IT and AV technology partner to help develop the vision for the new workplace technology and turn it into reality.

Cordless supported Hyperion throughout, from creating an initial workplace technology strategy, to the design, procurement and IT and AV project management – all the way to BAU in the new building.

Cordless helped the client implement a flexible passive and active IT infrastructure to support the user and building services including AV and Security.

A variety of working spaces and working styles have been catered for to allow staff to select the best space to work for their needs. The majority of the floorplates are open-plan to make the best use of space.

All desktops are sit/stand, and there are meeting booths and breakout spaces with integrated multimedia, presentation, conferencing and collaborative technologies. The café can play zoned music and features a drop-down screen for presentations, whilst the outdoor terrace is fully WiFi enabled.

Interactive touchscreens in the Project Meeting rooms enhance the user experience with greater control at their fingertips.

Digital Signage throughout the space supports the different brands working within the building – with digital art displays enhancing the design perspective.

The BytesBar technical support area is a drop-in genius bar and loan laptops are free to use whilst those taken in are being fixed.

The result is a high-impact destination workplace. With the support of state-of-the-art technology Hyperion now has an attractive, inspiring London HQ to encourage collaboration and support productivity. Furthermore, the new building has achieved WiredScore platinum certification for its connectivity.