Furniture as a service & circular economy programme

The project

Future Workspaces was appointed by Avison Young to support a major office move and clearance programme through a Furniture as a Service (FaaS) approach.

The project focused on extending the life of existing furniture through refurbishment, repair, reuse and buy-back, helping reduce waste while supporting sustainability and social value objectives.

The challenges

The programme required delivery at pace while maintaining business continuity and a high-quality client experience. Key challenges included:

• Coordinating large volumes of specialist furniture requiring different refurbishment and repair processes.
• Balancing sustainability goals with operational efficiency during a live move and clearance programme.
• Ensuring reuse, donation and buy-back were prioritised over disposal.

The solution

Future Workspaces delivered an end-to-end Furniture as a Service solution, carefully programmed to align with the client’s move and clearance schedule.

Our approach included the refurbishment, servicing and repair of over 250 task and meeting chairs, combining off-site deep cleaning and testing with on-site repairs delivered in phased batches to minimise disruption. Surplus furniture was assessed for reuse, with buy-back implemented where appropriate and reusable items donated to schools, charities and social enterprises, maximising social and environmental value.

All activities were coordinated as a single, integrated programme, ensuring a smooth experience for the client, building management and occupiers throughout the move.

Client feedback

“The move and clearance has been nothing but positive. Avison Young management and the building management team were highly impressed with Future Workspaces.

They asked me to express their thanks and admiration for the team’s patience and willingness to assist and give a helping hand.”

Avison Young