Case study
How Foster and Partners designs a more inclusive workplace with Sociability
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Meet Foster + Partners
Founded in 1967 by Norman Foster, Foster + Partners are a leading architectural firm based in Battersea, South West London. Renowned for designing some of London's best-loved and most iconic landmarks, including the Millennium Bridge & The Gherkin, Foster + Partners also boasts international clients like Apple and Bloomberg.
In 2022, Foster + Partners approached Sociability to help support their internal efforts to design a more inclusive workplace for their disabled visitors and staff – both present and future.
The challenge
Alongside housing more than 1,200 staff, Foster + Partners' London headquarters also hosts countless guests from across the architectural & design industries at events and Open Houses.
To improve access to these events, Foster + Partners wanted to share detailed, up-to-date accessibility information about their HQ to anyone looking to visit or work at the London HQ. In doing so, Foster + Partners sought to support disabled visitors, employees and future talent to feel welcomed and comfortable in their HQ, and to know exactly what to expect before arrival.
The solution
Since 2022, Sociability has worked alongside Foster + Partners to build a detailed Accessibility Management System for their Main Studio. This digital system allows Foster + Partners to:
Inform all of their staff & visitors quickly & easily about the accessibility of their Main Studio;
Integrate this information into their existing platforms, such as their internal password-protected (SSO) intranet; and
Interact with disabled staff & visitors in real-time, by sharing live updates about the Studio's accessibility and gathering user feedback, all through a bespoke, user-friendly dashboard.
"Within the first two months, 10% of staff were actively using the resource and we are excited to see this number increasing"
Benjamin Ralph
Partner, Head of Fire Safety
The outcome
"The mapping process was run within 8 weeks and Sociability were on hand throughout," says Benjamin Ralph, Partner and Head of Fire Safety at Foster + Partners.
The launch event also proved popular with staff and external visitors, increasing usage by over 60%, which we were able to track through our Sociability dashboard.
