Nestled in the centre of Bristol, a short walk from Temple Meads Railway Station, sits the Welcome Building. The 210,000 sq. ft landmark was designed with flexibility at its core, and is home to a growing mix of legal, professional services and consultancy tenants.
The Welcome Building is the first office development in Bristol to target WELL Platinum, the highest tier of the global WELL Building Standard, which recognises buildings designed to actively support the health and wellbeing of the people who use them. It includes focused and open working areas, a reception and performance space, an independent café, changing and locker facilities, a gym, and a wellbeing studio, to provide its colleagues and visitors with everything they might need.
The Welcome Building represents a fresh chapter in Bristol’s commercial property landscape. On Verve was brought in by managing agent Knight Frank Promise to help bring its sense of community to life, providing on-the-ground guest services through our DayMaker, Eliza, and 24/7 security through our sister company, Amulet.
Onsite presence from the beginning
Our DayMakers typically embed themselves into buildings that are already established, taking the time to understand each unique space, its tenants, and its approach to work. We were onsite at the Welcome Building from its preliminary stages, working within the property as it took shape.
Rather than inheriting established processes from the facilities or estate team, Eliza took the time to understand the local landscape and how the building actually works.
To keep tenants informed, the Welcome Building runs a dedicated platform covering internal communications, meeting room bookings, gym management, and event promotion. So, as the building filled with life, we documented what we learnt along the way, creating practical guidance that will help future DayMakers support tenants from day one.
Embedding ourselves in the day-to-day
By collaborating closely with the Knight Frank Promise team from the outset, Eliza quickly became a familiar and trusted presence in the building. She sits at the heart of daily life at the Welcome Building, connecting tenants, visitors and colleagues while helping everything run smoothly behind the scenes.
Eliza also helped gather data for the building’s WELL Platinum submission, forming part of the evidence base for the award. That contribution helped the Welcome Building gain its accreditation, formally acknowledging the space’s support of human health and wellbeing.
Eliza spends every day creating content to promote all events, including the ones we run, on the building’s app, and learning on the job when something unexpected arises – whether that is resetting a dropped network in the gym studio, sourcing reliable local taxi numbers, or learning which nearby restaurants to recommend to visitors and tourists passing by.
Connecting the wider community
Community is built into the Welcome Building’s identity, both among its tenants and the people and businesses surrounding it. Alongside daily support, Eliza arranges and supports its regular events and fundraisers. We use the building app to keep tenants updated on events, access meeting area bookings, and keep direct contact with the facilities team.
We developed monthly coffee mornings to bring local community groups into the space, with regular gatherings and guest talks that provide a bridge between the building and the wider Bristol community. Guest groups have included performers and local artists, and speakers have been a mixture of project managers, creators, and authors who have come to discuss their specialisms, with workers from the area and locals welcome to join. Recent examples include a TV producer and talent agent who came to discuss ‘radical imagination’ – the idea of dreaming big and acting on grand ideas – and an inspirational coach who discussed the value of smaller day-to-day interactions and micro-relationships.
Supporting the local community also means supporting the causes they care about the most, so once a month, we host a fundraiser. In June, we organised a local makers market during Great Big Green Week, the UK’s biggest celebration of community action to tackle climate change and protect nature. We arranged for Makers for Good Bristol to sell handmade jewellery, art, and baked goods, with 10 per cent of their proceeds going towards Avon Wildlife Trust, which protects wildlife across Bristol, Bath, and its surrounding areas.
Our impact and feedback
Just over a year into our work with Welcome Building, our partnership’s success is clear – both the space and On Verve’s presence are expanding. As new tenants come on board, more DayMakers are due to join the team.
Through everyday support, community-focused events, and a genuine presence in the building, we have helped create an environment where people can do their best work, build connections and feel part of a thriving workplace community.
James Puffitt, Senior Building Manager at The Welcome Building, Knight Frank, summed it up perfectly:
“Having a DayMaker at the Welcome Building adds the human touch our space needed. In a world where AI is becoming increasingly prevalent, being personally greeted with a smile and genuine attentiveness creates a lasting first impression for our visitors.”
Watch our DayMaker Eliza’s video to see more of the site and our role, read her ‘DayMaker in 5’ blog to understand more about her work and what she brings to our team, or explore our LGIM Manchester and global investment firm case studies.
