Next Headquarters by Orms

Next Headquarters in Leicester was presented at the AT Awards live finals on 20 September 2023 to a jury comprising Sunand Prasad, Marion Baeli, Chris Bicknell, Heather Topel, Hanif Kara, and Chair Catherine Burd. Read about how the project has stood the test of time.

Credit: Architectural Press Archive RIBA Collection

Completed
1987

Founded in 1982, the retailer NEXT began operations from its office-fronted warehouse in Leicestershire. In 1985, Orms won a competition with NEXT’s retail designer DDA to expand the office element of the site by more than 4,600 square metres. The building is planned around a triple-height ‘High Street,’ which creates a strong sense of place, aids wayfinding, and maximises daylighting and views through the space. Steel bridges and stairs provide further articulation, improving both connectivity and social interaction.

The office wings employ an expressed concrete frame with circular columns and enclosing beams defining work areas for 6/8 people. The top floor has a steel-trussed roof with a generous overhang. A linear spine of serviced and services rooms supports the open-plan office floors. The architect reports that ‘the architectural “grain” has proved itself more flexible and better-lasting than so-called flexible ‘fit out’ solutions.’

Credit: Architectural Press Archive RIBA Collection

Generous raised floors, thermal mass, simple air handling/cooling, opening windows, and acoustic absorption in the soffit decking all support a good working environment. There are local plant rooms and a simple spine route for easy services distribution in each wing. The building has weathered extremely well over the years, due in part to the use of durable fair-faced materials, including textured Forticrete blocks, exposed steelwork, and stone floors.

NEXT now occupies a collection of new and refurbished buildings, which connect to the Orms scheme via a series of bridge links. The original building, however, remains a key component in the retailer’s organisation and continues to be enjoyed by visitors and staff alike. Our 2023 philosophy is to create ‘Ultrapractical Architecture,’ comments the architect. ‘The 1987 NEXT building was the start of that journey.’