In 2009, Bruntwood undertook a strategic brand transformation, one that would shape not only the way the business spoke about itself, but fundamentally change how its buildings were perceived and experienced. With a growing portfolio of over 100 office buildings across the UK, including a significant concentration in Manchester, the shift was as much spatial as it was strategic.

Founded by Mike Oglesby, Bruntwood had originally built its reputation by acquiring and lightly refurbishing underused office buildings—bringing them back to market efficiently and affordably. But as technology changed the way people worked, so too did the expectations of space. Static desks gave way to laptops and mobility; collaboration became currency; and coffee shops, not corridors, became the real places of exchange. The old assumptions about yield, redline boundaries, and rental demises were no longer sufficient.

This brand refresh turned Bruntwood from a landlord into a placemaker, repositioning its offer as Creating Places for Business Success. This was more than a strapline. The idea was to rethink fallow common areas as active environments for interaction; to imagine rooftops as landscaped terraces and breakout zones; to make amenity and shared space not a cost, but a new kind of value. Exhibition spaces, meeting pods, greenhouses, and even rooftop beekeeping became not gimmicks but gestures of culture – tools to reinvigorate the working day.

The design strategy began with deep research. Over 40 buildings were studied in detail, each one mapped in terms of its architecture, function, context, and patterns of use. From this, four distinct typologies emerged: the City Series, Community Series, Business Series, and Independent Series. This became the foundation of a strategic framework through which each building could be addressed, upgraded, and repositioned with tailored intent.

The shared aim was to unlock latent space within each building – not just physically, but socially. Lobbies became third spaces, receptions became venues, and rooftops became destinations. Tenants were encouraged to stay within the Bruntwood ecosystem, scaling up or down across the portfolio, supported by consistent design principles and values. This inward-looking network became a kind of club where businesses could thrive not in isolation, but together.

Buildings like Portland Tower (now Manchester One) exemplified this shift. Its generous but fussy grass and paving flagged front area was envisioned more like the plaza with public art much like the Seagram building in New York. The building could become a place to meet, host, and connect—setting a new tone for what city-centre workspaces could become.

This project was ahead of its time. Long before amenity space became a buzzword in workplace design, Bruntwood were building it into the foundations of their portfolio. The result was a quietly radical repositioning of over 100 buildings – not simply making them more attractive, but making them more relevant.

The strategy remains embedded in Bruntwood’s DNA today: a brand, a business, and a portfolio rooted in the belief that better places make better business.