125 Colmore Row is a landmark office in the heart of Birmingham City Centre. The project comprised a full strip‑out and Cat B fit out, delivering approximately 150,000 sq. ft of high‑quality office accommodation across eight floors for Lloyds Banking Group, supporting 2,200 staff.

The fit out was designed to promote collaboration, wellbeing and flexibility, incorporating a diverse range of spaces including open‑plan work areas, meeting and conference rooms, a working cafe, fitness facilities, a large town hall, and a comprehensive suite of ancillary welfare spaces.

In line with Lloyds Banking Group’s sustainability ambitions, the building services were extensively upgraded to reduce the building’s operational carbon footprint.

Acoustic performance was a key design consideration for the project. The client sought high acoustic standards, with effective acoustic separation and speech privacy between spaces, alongside comfortable room acoustics within both open‑plan and cellular offices. A central, full‑height atrium presented a significant design challenge, requiring careful coordination of the location, extent and performance of sound‑absorbing treatments to ensure acoustic comfort throughout the building.

Sandy Brown was appointed to develop the RIBA Stage 2 Concept Design with the client. This included space planning and guidance on acoustic criteria covering all aspects of the architectural and MEP design. An environmental noise survey was also undertaken set appropriate limits for noise egress from new rooftop building services plant as part of a planning application.

Sandy Brown provided support to the contractor team from RIBA Stage 3 to practical completion. This included the development of sound insulating constructions, guidance on interface detailing, building services noise & vibration control and the specification of crosstalk attenuation requirements. Acoustic consultancy was provided throughout the construction stage, including reviews of technical submittals from sub-contractors, responding to site/design queries, site inspection visits at key periods, and acoustic testing to verify that completed works met the project’s performance requirements.