Designed and delivered by Catalyst, the new facility sees a complete change in working environment for Socotec that is beneficial for both staff and clients.

After a detailed consultation process, Catalyst's team developed a design scheme that enables Socotec to reach new standards of testing within the industry.

Spatial adjacencies and workflows were investigated and tested during the design phase to ensure high levels of productivity and ease of use for all staff. Where standard solutions were not fit for purpose, bespoke Items of equipment were designed to help facilitate staff in carrying out their daily tasks with maximum efficiency.

For Socotec, this investment in its staff has resulted in a working environment that sets a new industry standard, which puts the wellbeing of staff and the quality of service provided to customers at the forefront. 

Collaboration and communication were key throughout the duration of the project, with Catalyst working closely with Socotec to gain a thorough understanding of its processes and ethos. With this knowledge in place, Catalyst used its expertise to deliver a tailor made solution against a challenging backdrop of a tight timeframes and restrictions caused by COVID.

While discussing the design process Catalyst's head of Laboratory Design, David James said: "We recognised from an early stage that a collaborative approach with the Socotec team was a vital aspect of this project. Educating ourselves on how their teams work, their processes and the challenges they faced in their existing facilities allowed us to develop a solution that improved the core aspects of the services they offer."

The new state-of-the-art site will be home to over 100 staff and sees Socotec relocate from its former Daventry and Southam sites into its new home for its materials testing, geotechnical, commercial and contaminated land departments. Speaking of the new site group technical director Philip Ball said: "The new Coventry site is a fantastic facility, the likes of which has never been seen before in the history of this market. It sets the standard for facilities that we can be very proud of."

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