Altium is a global software company headquartered in San Diego, providing innovative PCB design software to the electronics industry. With teams located across the globe, the business is focused on improving efficiency and speed within electronic engineering, helping to contribute towards a greener future through technological innovation.
Like many businesses, Altium was prompted by the pandemic to rethink how its teams worked and what employees needed from the workplace. The company wanted to create an inclusive and engaging environment that would encourage people to return to the office, whilst supporting collaboration, wellbeing and future growth.
At the time, Altium’s UK sales and research and development (R&D) teams operated from separate locations. The brief was to bring both departments together within a single workspace in Cambridge, whilst carefully balancing the differing requirements of each team.
The office needed to support focused technical work, collaborative project discussions, hybrid meetings and social interaction, all while maintaining a strong connection to Altium’s global brand identity. Flexibility and scalability were also essential to accommodate future expansion plans for the growing Cambridge operation.
The primary challenge was delivering a commercially viable office fit-out that balanced functionality, employee experience and sustainability, whilst catering to the distinct working styles of both sales and R&D teams.
Other key considerations included:
Sustainability played a significant role throughout the design and delivery process. Working closely with the client, our design team prioritised environmentally responsible materials and circular design principles to reduce waste and futureproof the workspace.
Approximately 50% of the furniture within the completed office was reused from Altium’s previous spaces, significantly reducing embodied carbon and unnecessary landfill waste. The remaining furniture and finishes were selected for their environmental credentials, durability, and long-term performance.
Sustainable specifications included:
To further reduce environmental impact, office furniture arriving from Germany was stored within our local warehouse facilities before installation, minimising unnecessary transportation and multiple delivery journeys.
The completed workspace reflects Altium’s commitment to sustainability, with natural finishes, calming tones and carefully considered materials creating a subtle nod towards a greener future within the technology sector.
With Altium’s US teams previously experiencing background noise issues in international meetings, acoustic performance became a major focus during the planning and design stages.
Our team carefully considered how meeting spaces would function day-to-day, increasing the specification of partitions, glazing systems and doors to create quieter, more private environments for video conferencing and focused discussions.
We also worked closely alongside Altium’s appointed AV consultant throughout the project to ensure exceptional connectivity and seamless integration between global teams. This collaborative approach helped create meeting spaces that support effective hybrid working and international communication without compromise.
Creating consistency across Altium’s global offices was an important aspect of the design brief. Our designers drew inspiration from the company’s California headquarters and other international office locations to create a workspace that felt recognisably Altium.
Brand identity influenced everything from flooring details and glazing manifestations through to the tea point island, worktops and furniture finishes.
Alongside these global influences, we also introduced subtle UK-centric design elements to ensure the Cambridge team retained the aspects of workplace culture they valued most within their previous Bradfield Centre office. The result is a workplace that balances international brand consistency with local personality and functionality.
Employee wellbeing and workplace experience were central to the overall design strategy. The finished office combines open-plan working with spaces dedicated to collaboration, social interaction and focused work, helping employees choose how and where they work throughout the day.
Biophilic elements and access to natural light and fresh air were integrated throughout the space to help support employee wellbeing and create a healthier working environment.
The completed workspace includes:
By carefully zoning the workspace and introducing a variety of environments, the office caters to the different working needs of both technical and client-facing teams, whilst encouraging interaction and collaboration between departments.
The completed office fit-out successfully brought Altium’s UK sales and R&D teams together within a single collaborative workplace that supports innovation, flexibility and future growth.
The client was delighted with the finished result, with the new office already supporting plans to expand the Cambridge-based R&D operation.
The project demonstrates the value of close collaboration between the client and the design team, where ideas were openly challenged, workplace behaviours carefully considered, and practical suggestions introduced to create the best possible outcome for the business and its employees.
The finished space not only reflects Altium’s global brand identity but also delivers a workplace experience tailored to the people using it every day.
At COEL, we understand that no two businesses work in the same way. Every organisation has its own culture, priorities and ways of collaborating, which is why we take the time to understand how your people work before we begin designing your space.
For Altium, this meant creating an environment that successfully balanced the focused requirements of an R&D team with the collaborative and people-centric needs of a sales function, whilst also supporting employee wellbeing, sustainability and future growth. The result is a workspace that not only reflects Altium’s global brand identity but also enhances the Cambridge team’s day-to-day work.
From workplace strategy and interior design to fit out, furniture, and ongoing support, our in-house teams work collaboratively to deliver inspiring workplaces tailored to the businesses that use them. Whether you are relocating, refurbishing or planning for future expansion, we create flexible, future-ready environments that help businesses innovate, collaborate and grow.
At the heart of every COEL project is a simple goal: to make working lives better through thoughtful design, sustainable choices, and spaces that truly work for the people who use them.
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