Our Wates Smartspace business has completed the fit out of Lloyds Banking Group’s new Cardiff hub at John Street, Callaghan Square, creating a flagship workplace for more than 2,500 colleagues and marking another milestone in a longstanding partnership built on trust, collaboration and shared ambition.
Delivered over a fast-track 27-week programme, the project transformed 110,000 sq ft of Grade A office space into a modern, flexible workplace that brings together colleagues from across Cardiff and Newport into a single destination designed to support collaboration, wellbeing and innovation.
Building on the success of previous projects across the Lloyds estate, including the award-winning Trinity Road redevelopment in Halifax, Wates Smartspace was selected to deliver Cardiff’s new regional hub, reflecting the confidence, experience and strong working relationships developed over many years.
The Cardiff project forms part of Lloyds’ wider workplace transformation programme, designed to consolidate office locations into strategically located hubs that create a consistent, high-quality experience for colleagues across the estate.
While the building provided a modern shell, the challenge was to create a workplace capable of supporting more than 2,500 colleagues while incorporating a wide range of specialist environments within a constrained footprint. This included customer suites, collaboration hubs, technology facilities, wellbeing spaces, meeting rooms and social areas, all carefully designed to support the evolving needs of a modern workforce.
A further challenge involved the installation of major rooftop building services equipment, requiring extensive planning and coordination with specialist contractors, transport providers and local stakeholders to safely deliver a complex crane operation in the heart of Cardiff city centre.
Drawing on lessons learned from previous Lloyds projects, Wates Smartspace delivered a comprehensive Cat B fit out across ten floors, creating a workplace that balances functionality, flexibility and colleague wellbeing.
The completed hub includes:
Central to the project’s success was the highly collaborative relationship between Wates Smartspace, Lloyds, consultants, facilities management partners and the wider supply chain. Teams worked together from planning through to handover, creating a culture focused on solving challenges collectively rather than adopting a traditional client-contractor approach.
Sustainability was embedded throughout the project, supporting Lloyds’ wider environmental ambitions and the building’s targeted BREEAM Excellent performance.
The project team prioritised circular economy principles wherever possible, reusing materials and assets from elsewhere within the Lloyds estate.
These initiatives helped minimise waste, reduce embodied carbon and maximise the value of existing resources while creating a high-quality workplace environment.
Alongside delivering a major workplace transformation, the project team was committed to making a positive contribution to the local community.
Over the course of the programme, 1,004 hours were invested in community initiatives, including working with local schools, groups and organisations.
These initiatives formed part of Wates’ commitment to delivering lasting social value beyond the construction programme itself.
Completed on time and on budget, the Cardiff hub represents the culmination of Lloyds Banking Group’s workplace transformation programme and a significant investment in the future of its Welsh operations.
For Wates Smartspace, the project demonstrates the value of a long-term partnership built on trust, openness and shared objectives. By combining experience gained across previous Lloyds projects with a highly collaborative approach, the team has delivered a modern workplace that will support thousands of colleagues for years to come.
As project lead, Leigh Deakin, said, “It felt very much like a team approach rather than a client and contractor relationship”, which is perhaps the strongest reflection of a project defined not only by its delivery success, but by the strength of the partnership behind it.
Scott Camp
Managing Director at Wates Smartspace
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