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Where We Work: Peak HQ, Manchester

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Peak is an international AI company with offices across the world, including Jaipur, New York, Brisbane, London, and Edinburgh. Their HQ is located on the top floor of Manchester’s Neo building.

The top floor of Bruntwood’s £8m redevelopment has been the company’s home since December 2017. Their aim was to push the boundaries of office design and they worked very closely with the designers each stage of the design to ensure that their values and culture was incorporated throughout. 

We spoke to Richard Ferrar, Head of Marketing, to find out what was so special about the workspace…

“On the building’s top floor and with 360 degree views of Manchester, you feel like you are at the ‘Peak’ of the city. Open and unique, the office embodies our culture and values, and staff and visitors love being here, both in and out of office hours.

“There is plenty of natural light, and you feel open to the world. We have created a flexible working environment within the office, where no one has a fixed desk. People move around throughout the day to wherever it suits them and the space encourages interaction and collaboration that wouldn’t normally take place in a traditional office.”


Where is it?

Neo, Charlotte Street, Manchester, M1 4ET, United Kingdom 

How big is it?

We are currently on a major company growth plan, and this is an office that is designed to grow with us. We have 36 ‘standard’ desks, but also have cleverly designed alternative working spaces that can accommodate up to 75 people.

Staff can move around during the day to encourage flexibility and collaboration; they can work at a standard desk, a window-facing desk looking out at the stunning 360 degree views of the city, stand up at poseur height desks, concentrate in a quiet solo pod or take a seat on the bleachers in our communal area. The space encourages agile working, with various working areas catered to various individual needs.



What happens there?

We consulted with staff throughout the design phase to discover what they would love to have in the office and what could help them be more productive. Staff can sit at a desk with all their technology needs catered for – they simply plug in and go.  

There can often be so many barriers in a working day, and we wanted the office set up to be seamless. We have various meeting rooms and quiet working pods which allow people to have more privacy if desired. We also have a large communal area with bleacher seating, which lends itself well for informal meetings and solo working.

Who works there?

With other offices in Edinburgh and Jaipur, and with other staff working remotely in London and Brisbane, the number of people on site changes on a daily basis, ranging between 28 and 45. 


Take a closer look inside Peak HQ in Manchester’s NEO building


Think your workspace is wonderful?

Workplaces across the North are changing. For many, the physical changes are to encourage a cultural change, with more pressure being put on businesses to consider the wellbeing of employees. Whether your office has recently been refurbished, it’s beautifully designed, or it’s just vastly different from a typical office, we want to hear from you. Our Where We Work feature is a visual piece so any submissions will need to include HD photos. To find out more, please email Josh

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