The Co-operative Group was formed in 2000, but its roots date back to 1844, when a number of independent co-operative businesses and societies began to merge. Today its equitable, member-owned model comprises over 6 million individual members as well as around 80 independent Co-operative societies and the organisation has a presence in every area of the UK.

In summer 2010, the foundations for the new Co-operative Group headquarters building were laid in Manchester, a city that has been the home to the business for almost 150 years. When the landmark 15-storey complex is complete, more than 3,000 employees from the group’s retail and financial services will occupy 1 Angel Square as the first phase of its wider development of the current 20-acre site.

The building provides 320,000 sq. ft. of premium office space and makes a striking impact on the Manchester skyline. Internally, a stunning atrium that can be reconfigured as a 400-person conference space reveals much about The Co-operative’s nod to cutting edge design, while its environmental impact is central to the group’s commitment to sustainability. Indeed, 1 Angel Square is one of the most sustainable commercial buildings in Europe and this is also reflected in the technologies and systems deployed within the building too.

proAV was commissioned to install a state-of-the-art AV scheme in key areas of the new building, including a vast, 320-person auditorium and break-out area, a multitude of presentation and training rooms, video conferencing rooms, a boardroom, gymnasium, test kitchen and stunning reception area with a large MicroTile video wall arrangement as part of a branded scheme.

Key technologies include a HD video conferencing solution, which was deployed in the building’s dedicated video conferencing rooms and boardroom. The MicroTile display and HD projection systems were central to the corporate lobby scheme while control and DigitalMedia technologies were also deployed across the building.

Additional, specialist audio and video systems were integrated within the solution, including professional production sound, speech reinforcement and hard of hearing facilities, production lighting, audio conferencing, room booking system equipment and bespoke TV distribution architecture.

The groundbreaking AV solution for this world-class headquarters building was completed on time, within budget and according to the exacting specification of the project’s AV consultants, Mark Johnson Consultants.