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Challenge
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A healthy, hybrid workplace that strengthens collaboration, supports inclusion and helps attract future talent.
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A digitally enabled environment that unites teams and sets a consistent standard across the estate.
Solution
Planet
A BREEAM Excellent, EPC A-rated building powered by renewable on-site energy.
A healthy, hybrid workplace that strengthens collaboration, supports inclusion and helps attract future talent.
A digitally enabled environment that unites teams and sets a consistent standard across the estate.
A BREEAM Excellent, EPC A-rated building powered by renewable on-site energy.
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Nexus, the organisation that keeps Tyne and Wear moving, has brought its people into a new headquarters at The Spark, Newcastle Helix, a modern city centre hub that represents and showcases their brand.
The 20,000 sq ft move transformed how the public body collaborates and serves the North East, creating a civic workplace designed for transparency, connection and long-term sustainability.
Creating unity across a public network
For years, staff worked across dispersed offices with different conditions and systems.
The lack of a central base limited collaboration and diluted shared culture. Leadership recognised that a unified estate could unlock efficiency and reinforce public trust.
The new headquarters was conceived not as a relocation but as a statement of intent -an environment that demonstrates how civic purpose and modern working can coexist.
Choosing The Spark balanced practicality and purpose, giving the organisation a workplace that reflects its values and direction.
That clarity guided every decision that followed.
Evidence first, culture always
The programme began with discovery rather than design.
Workshops with leadership, union representatives and colleagues explored how people move, meet and perform across a complex operational network. Data from utilisation studies, heat mapping and persona analysis built a clear picture of working patterns.
Three principles guided the strategy:
- Evidence first. Key spatial and operational decisions were grounded in data and engagement feedback.
- Hybrid by design. Flexibility was built into governance and layout to support a changing workforce.
- Visibility matters. Open, connected spaces were designed to make collaboration and culture more visible across the organisation.
Engagement through formal union forums ensured governance, consultation and transparency remained central - vital for a public organisation accountable to its community.
The strategy became a business case mapping persona needs, adjacency logic, digital requirements and change-management actions, setting a replicable model for future sites.
Translating civic purpose into place
One home, open to all
Two connected floorplates at The Spark now house leadership, customer services and operational teams in one visible ecosystem.
The arrival space is open and civic in tone, an immediate expression of accessibility and pride where hierarchy gives way to shared service.
Spaces that encourage movement and visibility
Neighbourhood layouts use clear sight lines and natural light to promote connection.
Planting defines zones without barriers, while acoustics and lighting support concentration. A central café hub anchors the building as a daily meeting point where field staff, planners and managers naturally converge.
Inclusive, operationally ready design
Rooms for PPE, drying, well-being and faith support every colleague’s working reality. Accessibility, safety and dignity were planned with the same weight as efficiency. The result is calm and practical, unmistakably Nexus yet intentionally civic rather than corporate.
Hybrid and digital enablement were built in from day one. Smart meeting systems, analytics readiness and plug-and-play workstations allow the workplace to adapt as service models change. This flexibility safeguards investment and keeps the headquarters future-fit.
Sustainability as standard, not statement
The Spark’s low-carbon infrastructure underpins every choice, from material selection to energy performance.
Mechanical and electrical systems optimise efficiency while maintaining comfort, showing how environmental responsibility reinforces reliability.
Engaging people in transition
Before opening, colleagues were invited to experience their future environment.
Preview sessions, Q&A forums and guided tours turned curiosity into advocacy.
Leaders modelled new behaviours so that move-in was cultural as well as logistical.
A formal launch celebrated collective effort rather than construction milestones.
“It’s transformative. Compared with where we were before, the openness and quality of the space are completely different. Everyone’s been blown away.”
That response shows how fully the space fulfils its purpose. The headquarters now acts as a reference point for design, delivery and digital capability across the estate, setting a benchmark for consistency and experience.
From evidence to legacy
What began as a lease decision has become a long-term investment in culture, confidence and civic identity. Starting with evidence ensured efficiency, and building with purpose created belonging.
The joined-up approach will continue to guide the wider estate so that every future site supports both performance and public value. The Spark now stands as both operational hub and civic symbol for the North East’s transport network, a practical workplace built to serve the region.
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