The project saw off strong competition from across the UK in the ‘under 1500m2 category. The BCO awards celebrate the ‘best in class’ for workspace and office design in the country.

Threesixty relocated to Academy Street at the start of 2022. The new studio space, formed by combining two ground-floor retail units in a mixed-use new build development reinforces Threesixty’s agenda to repurpose and repopulate our urban centres with diverse uses to create vibrancy and street activation.

Threesixty are passionate about the Highlands and are committed to Inverness. The move is a practical manifestation of Threesixty’s work with the Scottish Government on ‘A Vision for High Street Regeneration’. This national guidance report identified that workplace should be considered as a key component to the recovery of high streets and local communities. As a result, the studio is a space that directly communicates our work to the outside world and provides a place for friends and family to visit - it is open to everyone.

As a practice the move to a high street location was deliberate. Out-of-town options were dismissed, instead Threesixty opted for a central location that offers convenient access to public transport, benefiting both staff and visitors. This strategic choice also aligns with Threesixty’s sustainability goals and recent B-Corp accreditation. The High Street presence provides an ideal shop front to amplify the practice values and engage with the community.

By bringing workplace onto the high street, there is a deliberate move to demystify the office – instead creating transparency between workplaces and the public. The versatile studio space has been designed to be welcoming and has host a range of events - from industry gatherings to community celebrations, such as Inverness PRIDE, university activities, local sports clubs, and a community book club, underlining its significant social and community impact architecture can have.

The interior is a calm, welcoming oasis consisting of an open plan workspace, a central social area with a full kitchen and a dedicated meeting space. The finishes are a composed palette of materials and the look and feel echoes that of Threesixty’s Glasgow studio. The ground floor shop windows adorned with foliage flood the studio with natural light giving the practice a strong street presence within Inverness city centre and allowing passers-by to be visually engaged.

The main ambition for the studio is to reflect who Threesixty are, reinforce what they do and provide the Inverness team with the opportunity to support the company’s culture, values and design collaboration in a purpose-built space.

Alan Anthony, managing director at Threesixty Architecture, said: “We have achieved considerable success over the past 14 years in the Highlands which led to us outgrowing our previous studio. These larger premises not only accommodate this growth and future expansion, it is also an investment in our passion for urban regeneration.”