Boots the Chemist
Nottingham, England
DEGW

An addition to a 1968 modern masterpiece

© Richard Bryant/Arcaid

For more photos click on 'photos & drawings' above. To see the people and products behind this project click on 'people & products.'

By Adam Mornement

In 1968, British pharmaceutical-retailing giant Boots the Chemist moved into D90, an elegant glass-walled pavilion on the Beeston side of Nottingham, the company’s home in the English Midlands. Architect Skidmore, Owings & Merrill had provided what was, for its time, an advanced workplace: hierarchical, functionally segregated, and centrally controlled. It was listed as a historic landmark in the 1980s.

By the 1990s, however, products were sourced and sold worldwide, decisions had to be made quickly in the face of a more competitive retail environment, and projects could no longer be managed in a strictly top-down manner. Flexibility, teamwork, and communication now defined the language of commerce, and Boots needed a headquarters to reflect the shift of focus.

A double-height central spine runs from a new DEGW-designed structure through a link with a welcoming entrance pavilion and into the 1968 building. It functions as a Main Street, inviting staffers from units that had previously occupied separate premises to mingle—intentionally or accidentally—in a pleasingly lighted space lined with a cafe, shops, ATMs, and elevators. Wireless telephones and numerous data connections make it possible to stay in touch throughout the building without being tethered to a single desk.

Smaller, color-coded atria give discrete identity and act as a focus for workgroup "neighborhoods." Though each neighborhood is supplied with desks, large meeting spaces, smaller "break-out" areas, and two offices, the number and arrangement of these elements within each neighborhood are up to the individual group. The atrium scheme could not be carried into the existing building, but the neighborhood idea was. High partitions have been removed and the private offices were converted into meeting rooms.

See the June 2001 issue of Architectural Record for full coverage of this project.

Formal name of building:
Boots the Chemist

Location:
Nottingham, England

Gross square footage:
425,000 sq ft

Owner:
Bethan Morgan,
Boots the Chemists

Architect's firm:
DEGW
Porters North
8 Crinan Street
London, N1 9SQ
www.degw.com