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- Santander commences construction on its new office in Milton Keynes
- Santander’s flagship UK technology hub to open in 2022
- World-class working environment, supported by cutting-edge technology, named Unity Place following staff competition
Santander has today begun construction on its state-of-the-art new campus in Milton Keynes, as Chief Executive Nathan Bostock, alongside Iain Stewart MP for Milton Keynes South, took part in a ground-breaking ceremony at the new site.
The new office, which represents an investment of over £150m in the town, will be home to over 6,000 employees and will bring together staff from the bank’s existing local office buildings into one location. The world-class working environment will be a modern workspace designed to encourage collaboration and offer a range of facilities to support health and wellbeing.
The new head office site is due to open by the Autumn of 2022 and follows Santander’s recent £30m investment in MK:U, the UK’s first university focused on digital skills, which is due to open a year later in 2023.
The building will be known as ‘Unity Place’ following a staff competition, chosen for the way it represents the bringing together of people from local businesses, Santander employees and the wider Milton Keynes community.
Nathan Bostock, Chief Executive, Santander UK, said: “We’re very excited to be starting work on Unity Place, a major investment in Milton Keynes, reflecting our long-term commitment to the local area. Milton Keynes is already one the UK’s leading technology centres and with a number of innovative education and training providers on our doorstep, we hope it will be a real magnet for technology talent.
“Once complete, the campus will be a state-of-the-art workplace which reflects our culture and our vision for the future. It will be a world-class home for Santander which both our colleagues and the local community can take pride in.”
Iain Stewart MP for Milton Keynes South said: “This investment is a huge vote of confidence in MK and will keep us at the heart of technology and innovation. I look forward to working with Santander to see this exciting project delivered.”
Leader of MK Council, Pete Marland said: “We’re delighted that Santander’s innovative plans are coming to life, which will see yet another major international business bring its central headquarters to Milton Keynes.
“The new HQ will complement our ambitious proposals for Central MK – including our world-class university MK:U, pioneering work and leisure spaces, and new affordable homes.”
Features of the planned new office include:
- An open ground floor with world class facilities available to members of public. These include: Bookable townhall space for community, education and wider Santander employees events;
- Flexible collaboration space that will be offered to local businesses and community organisations including an ‘Urban Market’ providing a variety of food and drink;
- A Santander bank branch combining traditional banking facilities with modern, digital services.
- A range of health facilities including a fitness centre, cycle storage, and an employee rooftop walking and running track;
- Parking for over 900 cars and an additional 560 secure cycle parking spaces located on the ground floor and basement levels; and
- The office is an environmentally sustainable building designed to achieve BREAM Excellent and WELL ‘Gold’ Certification, a measure of the building’s impact on health and wellbeing of its occupants.
In addition, the day-to-day operation of the building will be supported by a dedicated ‘campus app’, allowing users to book and manage facilities, keep up to date with upcoming events and for the community to engage with the building.
LOM is collaborating with Santander UK and global developer Osborne+Co to design Unity Place, a landmark new workplace in the business district of Central Milton Keynes. The campus will be a centre for digital banking innovation that nurtures collaboration and staff wellbeing. It will also enhance the area with a range of public amenities.
The building will bring together Santander’s employees, who are currently spread across four offices, providing them with an enhanced working environment that will help to attract and retain the best talent in the area.
The eight-storey building will provide 5,000 workstations arranged across four blocks. These are connected by three atria to allow natural light into the building and provide views out. Parking for cars and bicycles is located at ground floor level and in its two basement levels. The site will also be re-landscaped with additional trees and improved lighting.
44,000m2
office campus in Central Milton Keynes
Unity Place is designed to be a key local hub for Santander’s UK business and the community. The scheme includes coworking space for small business and start-ups. Local businesses and the public will be encouraged to use the ground floor facilities including an ‘urban market’, retail outlets, health facilities including; gym, yoga and consultation spaces, a community hall and an auditorium. There is also a rooftop running track and café/restaurant complete with terrace.
Sustainability and staff wellbeing are core objectives for the project. The building is on target to achieve a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating for its environmental performance and is being thoughtfully designed to support the health and wellbeing of its occupants.
LOM is currently developing a ‘coding’ theme for the interiors that is inspired by the nearby Bletchley Park – home to the famous World War Two Codebreakers, including the computing pioneer Alan Turing.
Unity Place is anticipated to complete in 2022.
