Authored by Martine Paynter.

In July 2023, the Centre packed up 12 years of research and collaboration at the Knowledge Spa, Truro, and moved into its new space in the Peter Lanyon building on Penryn Campus.

It wasn’t a decision we had taken lightly. We were leaving a purpose built building on an NHS Trust site, close to Cornwall Council, and moving staff who had intentionally bought houses nearby or on public transport routes.

What’s more, we were heading for a smaller space, further from home for most, where we would have to hot-desk.

There were some obvious advantages though: closer collaboration with the university departments we work with, closer proximity to our colleagues based at the Environment & Sustainability Institute, a potential for new connections with wider Penryn-based researchers, greater visibility to the University, and access to all the facilities that Penryn campus has to offer.

We decided early on in the process that if we were going to move, we were going to make it worthwhile. So we set out to design a space that was future proofed, felt welcoming, and encouraged staff to leave their comfortable home offices.

We began by asking everyone for an ideal wish list. Post‑pandemic, when people had settled in their home offices, what would make them want to come onto campus?

The answers were wildly varied: hybrid meeting spaces that actually worked, resources at arm’s reach, a Centre pet, a grand piano, coffee on tap, and a space that didn’t feel like an office at all.

But throughout the consultation period, one consistent theme stood out. People missed being around people. They wanted corridor conversations, seamless hybrid meetings, and the ability to sit with the project teams they were working with that day. So we designed the space with that in mind.

The Centre’s newly completed atrium space and a photo board of staff members.

The offices we inherited resided along a long, dark corridor with solid wooden doors and very little natural light. Through opening up the central area, swapping solid doors for glass, and adding colour, plants and coffee, we transformed it into somewhere people genuinely enjoy being.

The move itself brought unforgettable moments: discovering eleven pairs of abandoned shoes in desk drawers, filling over 100 bags with shredding and recycling, and carrying Ruth Garside’s ten foot dragon tree out of the Knowledge Spa – while NHS nurses looked on in disbelief!

Three years on, we’re proud of what we’ve built. The space continues to welcome people in and encourage collaboration. We’re equally proud that we moved in a way true to the Centre’s ethos; re‑homing almost everything we couldn’t take to the NHS, community groups, charity shops, and local residents, bringing with us and reusing as much as we could, sourcing second hand furniture where possible, and disposing of less than two bags of non-recyclables in total.

And a special mention to Ness Gordon. The move was hard work, emotional and time-consuming, but thanks to Ness’s vision, we ended up with a beautiful, well-considered space that we all love.