REFURBISHED / RECYCLED WORKPLACE
A corporate or commercial building where significant works have been carried out to adapt the existing building to modern office use. Buildings involving only façade retention would be considered as new builds.
NATIONAL WINNER/ REGIONAL WINNER (LONDON & THE SOUTH EAST)
THE ANGEL BUILDING, 407 ST JOHN STREET, LONDON
The fact that The Angel Building, which is not within one of London’s traditional office hot spots, let up fully within nine months of completion, is a testament to Derwent London’s boldness in taking on the ugly and unloved 1980’s monster which sat previously on the site.
Credit should go to the developer for taking the risk and to the architect, Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, for providing a great design which increased the overall area of the project significantly and seamlessly integrated the old structure into the new. Derwent London and AHMM have worked together on a number of projects across London and this building demonstrates their market knowledge and the maturity of their product. The office space is like a modern-day warehouse with exposed ceilings and a relaxed approach to different fit outs, which shows their confidence and close working relationship: This clearly helped The Angel Building excel in a very strong category.
The architect has cleverly brought back to life an old neglected central courtyard by converting it into a stunning atrium, which houses a public café and a distinctive art installation. The façade has been pulled forward to the street line – only someone in the know would realise that it is not a brand new building
The floor plan has been laid out to accommodate a number of different tenancies and occupiers, which undoubtedly helped its success in letting up. The liberal provision of occasional balconies looking both into the atrium and externally, have become favourite places for informal staff meetings.
Achieving BREEAM “Excellent” and an EPC rating of B shows a considered approach to environmental control, helped by a lot of good quality exposed structure. Windows can be opened and 50% of the heating demand is met by two biomass boilers. High ceilings allow excellent penetration of natural light into quite deep plan space.
The exterior of the building does a very good job of repairing a fractured piece of city – the original was set back to allow for a road widening scheme which never happened, so the new façade heals the gap providing a well-articulated curved frontage to reinforce its setting.
Derwent London’s bold move in a tough economic climate has deservedly brought just rewards – this is a landmark building that was recognised on the Stirling Prize shortlist.
REGIONAL WINNERS
SOUTH WEST OF ENGLAND, THAMES VALLEY & SOUTH WALES
THE BOURNE HILL OFFICES, THE COUNCIL HOUSE, BOURNE HILL, SALISBURY
As part of its workplace transformation programme Wiltshire Council introduced an architecture competition to create new office hub accommodation. The project included the full refurbishment of Bourne Hill House, a Grade II listed building set within a historic landscape in Salisbury.
The Council’s brief for sustainability was paramount and the final solution embraced a low carbon approach with a naturally ventilated new build addition. The design team adopted low technology solutions such as exposed concrete slabs and night time purging with opening vents.
Staff are encouraged to work flexibly and the new building has maximised hot desking, which has optimised the number of workstations available for use by the 500 staff. On-site parking spaces have been limited to promote the use of public transport and more sustainable modes of commuting.
The external spaces and landscaping have been cleverly integrated with the building to create new public access and links within the park setting. The judges did feel that a more cohesive approach to the interior fit out would help the accommodation reach its true potential but overall were impressed with the integration of old and new and the opportunity to bring this facility to Salisbury Town Centre.
The mix of old and new works well, with the civic functions accommodated within the refurbished building and the administrative functions within the new office space. The attention to detail and the relationship between the old and new construction makes this project stand out; no area of design was left to chance.
THE MIDLANDS & EAST ANGLIA
1 LANCASTER CIRCUS, QUEENSWAY, BIRMINGHAM
1 Lancaster Circus was a tired and redundant, yet well-constructed building, which Birmingham City Council has regenerated into a contemporary workplace in which its employees, project team and the people of Birmingham can now take genuine pride in.
This city centre building was the first major refurbishment project to get underway as part of Birmingham City Council’s Working for the Future (WFTF) transformation programme. WFTF is an ambitious programme through which the Council has targeted the regeneration of its 120,000m² administrative office portfolio into greener, more modern, adaptable and efficient workspaces. This refurbishment, by architecture practice Urban Design, allowed the council to move staff from thirteen office buildings into one.
The refurbishment of the office building, near Snow Hill Rail station, has created around 2,000 workstations, an increase of 500 from previously, in an open plan environment with multi-function meeting rooms and new improved catering facilities and break out areas. The dated non-user friendly cellular offices that dominated previously and encouraged out-moded working practices have been replaced by space which encourages an open collaborative working culture and encourages agile working and good use of the third space facilities.
The refurbished building is considerably more sustainable with features such as an energy efficient cooling system, energy supply from a combined heat and power system, energy efficient windows and eco-friendly sourced construction materials. The combined heat and power plant connects to the Birmingham Children’s Hospital, saving energy and money.
Overall this project has lifted the spirits of all involved and will be delivering large savings for the council in years to come; the judges were impressed on all accounts.
NORTH OF ENGLAND, NORTH WALES & NORTHERN IRELAND
10SP, 10 SOUTH PARADE, LEEDS
East Parade set out to transform 10 SP, a very tired four storey 1970’s building, into state of the art, Grade A, contemporary office space. Despite benefitting from a relatively prime city centre location, the building had very little physical prominence in the context of its surroundings and had not been refurbished since the 1980’s. The developer Wilton Developments also faced an added complication of an existing tenant remaining in-situ, requiring the refurbishment and new construction work to be carried out around them.
The refurbishment, including the introduction of a distinctive new fully glazed top floor, has not only added value and space but also ensured the building has realigned its profile in the market: This is reflected in the new rental levels which have been achieved.
With full floor to ceiling height glazing on the ground and first floor levels and a continuous angled elevation finish to the removed stepped feature of the previous building, 10SP has been pushed closer to the road providing it with a greater presence and stature against the surrounding streetscape. The reception has become a showpiece of the building and it instantly sets the tone of style and quality of finishes and experience as you arrive.
East Parade with architecture practice Kilmartin Plowman & Partners, under the guide of project manager Rex Procter & Partners, has ensured a dated office has been transformed into a modern building which is taking on, and competing against, the very best brand new built stock in Leeds city centre.