Gloucester-based architecture practice Roberts Limbrick held a drinks reception for the great and good of the industry last night to celebrate the firm's recent rebranding and office refurbishment.

About 140 guests, including clients, consultants and local dignitaries including Richard Graham MP attended the reception in the company's Bruton Way head office. Punchline was there too.

Roberts Limbrick has so far spent about £200,000 on a major office refurbishment which is changing the way many of its staff work. The company has also launched a new website, complete with updated branding and a new logo.

Aaron Terry, head of the residential team, said: "It's a big investment in Gloucester, a big investment in our staff and a big investment with Roberts Limbrick."

Mr Terry said business was still buoyant. "I know there's a bit of uncertainty in the market at the moment but we're busy with commercial resiential and healthcare. We are still seeing quite a bit of of confidence in the market and there's some big commercial schemes coming through. Developers and businesses haven't been investing through the pandemic but it's starting to unlock the bigger schemes."

Joe Roberts, a director of Roberts Limbrick, said of the office refurbishment: "We've introduced a range of different spaces which has really transformed the office. We've changed to bench desking which is much more collaborative and much easier for people to talk about projects.

"It's the same number of bums on seats essentially but with the bench desking it's much more efficient and with the opportunity to introduce soft seating, hot desk areas and break out areas.

"Maximising space used to be bums on seats, now it's much more about a blend of spaces providing different spaces for people to work in different ways. Some people like to work on sofas, some people prefer to work at a table, others at a desk, while some people like to work up high. It's providing that variety of workspace.

"The other thing that's quite a change is the interface between people working from home and people in the office."

Virtually all of Roberts Limbrick's staff now work in an open plan environment and to help people relax during down times, there's a pool table, table football and yoga at lunchtimes.

The company currently has 80 employees working in its Gloucester head office with 26 in its Newport office.