One Strawberry Lane and Home Group
Newcastle upon Tyne - Office
Disrupting traditional thinking in office design, working and culture.
One Strawberry Lane, a new office building in the emerging St. James’ Quarter of Newcastle city centre, comprises 9,110sqm of flexible Grade A office space spanning over six storeys. Ryder architectural teams designed the base build, in tandem with our interiors team, appointed by contractor Overbury, as executive interior designer to provide the interior fit out.
One vision, one shared workspace, one community.
The building is open to the public at the ground floor with a café and informal working areas including bookable meeting spaces, with two floors of office sublets above and Home Group occupying the remainder of the building. One Strawberry Lane is the new headquarters for national housing association, Home Group, and facilitated a major relocation of 700 employees from several offices across North Tyneside to a more sustainable location in the city centre.
Community driven from the start.
A series of engagement programmes were carried out over development of One Strawberry Lane. Home Group worked with the local voluntary sector to ensure the building supports the local community. Together, our design team, the contractor, and Home Group, facilitated seven social impact projects through the construction period.
A blueprint for office design.
The design was required to aesthetically relate to Home Group’s primary business of creating homes this was expressed through the development of a townhouse typology for the elevations.
Design for inclusivity goes above and beyond, with height adjustable elements throughout and subtle zoning through the use of curtains and high backed furniture to create differing environments.
The interior design reflects the overt, community focused culture that Home Group support. Civic integration is at the heart of the design, creating a new business model that uses corporate workspace and coworking environments to cross fun community initiatives for the greater good and positively influencing the urban context. Named one of the first new commercial buildings in the UK to be designed for the new post Covid hybrid working style, Home Group has seen a significant upturn in their people choosing to work in the office.
Nathalie Baxter
Head of Workspace, Home Group
Home Group Cumbria
In 2025, Ryder interiors delivered the refurbishment of Home Group’s offices in Maryport, Cumbria, as part of an ambitious national workspace estate strategy. The scheme comprises open plan workspaces for 73 staff across two buildings, a vibrant and flexible work café, meeting spaces and wellbeing facilities.
The varied spaces enable staff to choose a workspace that best supports them, including a work café which is often set up as an additional breakout space as well as weekly toolbox talks.
Flexible furniture includes a range of seating, height adjustable desks and privacy curtains. Workspaces are supported by refurbished WCs, tea points and a flexible multifaith and wellbeing room.
Giving back
The project delivers measurable sustainability benefits through a new multipurpose space, which reduces the need for travel, cutting carbon emissions and creating a space for local hub for engagement between businesses and customers.
Home Group has invested directly in the community, with contractor contributions funding around £3,000 of local works to improve accessibility, complete repairs, redecorate, and support community clean‑up efforts.
Additional social value activities include a toy drive, a coffee morning raising £300, and new chairs and resources for the Centre. Ongoing engagement, accessibility upgrades, and inclusive design ensure the space remains welcoming and widely used.
