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HOK completes colourful, nautical-themed headquarters for Carnival UK
Located in Harbour Parade – the commercial heart of North West Europe’s cruise capital, Southampton – the vibrant interior of Carnival UK Headquarters has recently been refitted by architecture giant HOK. Five major cruise companies under the Carnival UK umbrella, Cunard, P&O Cruises, Ocean Village, Princess and Yachts of Seabourn, from five separate offices across the city have been united under a single roof.
The 140,000 sq ft office space is spread over five floors, anchored by a 7,000 sq ft atrium, with large open-plan work spaces eliminating the individually dedicated offices and encouraging a collaborative atmosphere between colleagues and brands. Each floor has been named after a different sea or ocean, whilst private meeting rooms have been titled after relevant ports.
A clear maritime thread runs throughout the entire project, from the large cruise-ship style central atrium to full height graphics incorporated into the glazing of the meeting rooms and pilotage charts (navigational diagrams used to bring a ship safely into port) used as a base image for the conference and training suite.
Andy Warner Lacey, Senior Architect at HOK London, commented: “Bringing the five brands together in one central space offered great opportunities for staff engagement and the sharing of ideas and knowledge between teams.
“One of the main design challenges was creating a collective identity for the new headquarters whilst also allowing each of the five brands to maintain their own distinct identity. The central atrium space is crucial to providing this sense of an entire organisation and also provides additional flexible working space alongside the many breakout and collaboration areas provided elsewhere in the design.”
Sian Disson
News Editor