Stanton Williams

Unlocking the potential of an under-used 1920s building to create a world-class headquarters building with office, café and conference space

Stanton Williams were commissioned in 2003 to create a new headquarters building for Cadbury at their historic Bournville site in Birmingham. We have remodelled the 1920s Dining Block as a flagship administration centre, providing office accommodation for 700 people as well as new catering and meeting facilities. A series of sensitive interventions have unlocked the building’s potential, creating a flexible, sustainable and inspiring working environment.

We have replaced the building’s central section with a new block whose façade combines full-height glazed openings and slender brick piers to striking visual effect, substantially increasing the factory’s civic presence.A simple stone portico gives Cadbury a ‘front door’ for their first time, while the glazing offers views to passers-by of the dramatic atrium within. The new elevation is framed by the retained end sections of the 1920s building, the materials and detailing of which are taken up in our design. Internally, the emphasis has been on flexibility, with open-plan working areas being punctuated by meeting rooms and informal social spaces.

Completed to positive reception in 2007, our design not only responds to the changing needs of a major global business but also, in offering a high-quality experience for all employees, seeks to communicate afresh the philosophy of the founding Cadbury brothers.