As we continue celebrating ten years of GT3, we’re looking back at the projects that have helped shape our journey and the relationships that continue to define our People Architecture approach.
When Waterstons experienced a significant period of growth, they recognised an opportunity to strengthen and evolve their workplace culture alongside it. We were appointed to support this journey through GT3 Consultancy and GT3 Interiors, bringing together workplace strategy, employee engagement and interior design to create a space at Liddon Court shaped around the people who use it every day.
Like us, Waterstons has a strong people-first ethos embedded throughout the business. The ambition for the new workplace was not simply to create a new office, but to develop an environment that would support flexible working, encourage collaboration and reflect the company’s bright, informal culture.
To help shape the brief, we engaged employees across the organisation, exploring their pains, gains and goals to better understand how the workplace could support both the business and individual wellbeing. Alongside workshops with the board and leadership team, this created a detailed understanding of how the space needed to perform both practically and culturally.
Charlotte Stone, Senior Interior Architectural Designer, reflects: “What made the project particularly rewarding was the level of trust and collaboration throughout the process. Waterstons genuinely wanted to create a workplace shaped around their people, and that allowed us to develop spaces that felt authentic to their culture rather than simply following workplace trends.”
Following our consultation, the interior design drew upon both practical insight and employee perception, ensuring the final scheme responded to how people wanted to work, interact and feel within the space. The result was a modern and flexible environment at Liddon Court, with a range of task-based settings tailored to the needs of the business and its teams.
Chief Commercial Officer, James Alderson at Waterstons said: “We’ve always been deliberate about the kind of workplace we build, and Liddon Court is a genuine reflection of that. Working with GT3 was a collaborative experience; they took the time to understand not just our practical needs, but the culture and personality we’ve built since we started. The result is a flexible, creative space that lets our teams work in the way that suits them best, while staying connected to each other and to our clients. It feels like ours, and it continues to evolve alongside us.”
The project also demonstrated the value of integrating consultancy, psychology and design thinking from the outset. Through GT3 Consultancy’s pre and post occupancy approach, the work moved beyond aesthetics alone, focusing on how the workplace would continue to support people over time.
Carys Thomas-Osborne, Environmental Psychologist Consultant, said: “The most successful workplaces are the ones that genuinely respond to people’s behaviours, needs and experiences. By engaging employees throughout the process and evaluating how the space performed afterwards, we were able to understand not only how people worked, but how the environment could better support connection, wellbeing and day-to-day experience.”
Looking back, the project remains a strong example of how workplace environments can become an extension of company culture, supporting people, performance and long-term growth through thoughtful, evidence-based design.
As part of our ten-year series, the Waterstons workplace at Liddon Court represents another chapter in the story of People Architecture, one shaped through collaboration, insight and a shared commitment to putting people first.