One Portwall Square in Bristol succeeded in the category of Best Commercial Workplace. The innovative building demonstrates what can be achieved on a compact city centre site, even in the shadow of the Covid-19 pandemic. The six-storey Grade A office building of 35,750 sq ft was constructed on the site of disused squash courts and provides desirable sustainable workplace to the Bristol office market. A key focus of the building was placed on wellbeing and environmental performance. The judges were particularly impressed by the pioneering mixed mode heating, ventilation and cooling system, incorporating passive ventilation with traffic light system and concrete core cooling through embedded pipework in the exposed floor slabs. Occupier experience in the building is enhanced through roof terraces on every level and a touchless journey throughout the building.

Winning the award for Best Corporate Workplace, CABI Headquarters in Wallingford convinced the judges with its holistic design scheme which incorporated the occupier’s brand into the building. Its excellent environmental credentials are combined with a passive approach to design and a focus on biodiversity, with a sweeping green roof that meets the landscape seamlessly. The judges highlighted the strong collaboration between the client, design and construction team which delivered this successful scheme on a very impressive budget for a not-for-profit organisation.

A highly flexible space that took home the award for Best Fit out Workplace was Clockwise in Southampton. A clever design, careful use of colour and furnishing has transformed a tired 1990’s office building into an inviting, open and collaborative environment. The scheme has been designed with flexibility in mind. It provides a range of communal spaces as well as a variety of office sizes. Office types are modular allowing office sizes to be modified in the future should the demand change. The project has focused on the use of sustainable and recycled, low VOC materials, lime-based paints, and using local marine waste to create select pieces of furniture. The design takes cues from luxury hospitality and residential design with a nod to Southampton’s Regency architecture. The judges described the winner as ‘an exceptional workspace that truly lift the spirits’.

Dock House in Bristol was crowned best Project up to 1,500sqm. This compact office on the Bristol harbour front seamlessly blends with surrounding buildings while excelling with bold office fit out, including a secret meeting room and purpose-built bar. The judges highlighted how this office is a perfect example of where an occupier ‘expresses their personality through fixtures and décor’. The building was commercially successful, having been fully let.

Campus Reading International received the award for Best Refurbished/Recycled Workplace. 500,000sq ft of office space has been refurbished to create a space which has ESG and wellness at its core. Moving away from a reliance on fossil fuels, electric heat pumps have been implemented, and over 95% materials removed from site have been reused. The Social Value Bank has worked alongside the project to track and demonstrate the project’s social impact. The building has been designed for flexibility delivering a range of options from fully fitted incubator space to CAT A fit out and shell and core space. Occupiers benefit from high-quality amenity including a restaurant, town hall space, and a gym and wellness suite. The project was awarded a wide range of credentials including BREEAM Excellent, WiredScore Platinum, ActiveScore Gold ratings, WELL Platinum and WELL Health Safety. The judges were convinced by the building’s impressive scale and success demonstrated by positive occupier feedback.

The HERE Building, part of the HERE + NOW complex in Thames Valley Park, was the winner of the newly created ESG category. This building is carbon neutral in operation and in construction and embraces circularity by reusing the old HVAC system in the sister building next door. The design team was challenged to design out any excess to minimise upfront carbon and the residual carbon was offset using a high-quality offset programme. Architecturally, the building has been designed sympathetically to the existing fabric and internal features. The judges were stunned by meeting rooms ‘hung from the building’ and occupier wellness initiatives such as a premium gym and personal training, as well as cycling and treatment rooms.

The South of England and South Wales winners will compete for the BCO National Awards in October 2023.

Matthew Heaman, Director at Hoare Lea and the British Council for Offices’ South of England and South Wales Committee Chairman, said: “The BCO’s regional awards are an annual highlight for the office sector in this vibrant area of the country. It is a great occasion that allows us to convene and celebrate the best of the best that workplace has to offer. This year’s winners across the South of England and South Wales are beacons of innovation in sustainable office-sector design. Importantly, they also offer impressive examples of how design can enhance work culture and support employee wellbeing. Congratulations to all our regional winners and good luck for the BCO National Awards 2023.”

Catherine Macpherson, Project Director at Hoare Lea and South of England and South Wales Judging Chair, said: “This year’s winners for the South of England and South Wales demonstrate the meaningful role that offices continue to play in our region. The impressive projects that the judges visited this year showcase the office’s potential to harness creativity and community. Sustainability and decarbonisation played a key role in this year’s winning projects, whether through retrofit, reuse and electrification. Our winners are at the forefront of sustainable office design.”

The lead sponsor for this year’s BCO Awards is ISG. Gold sponsors are AECOM, Glamox Luxonic, Troup Bywaters + Anders and SAS International. Silver sponsor is Hoare Lea and Bronze Sponsor is Invest in Cardiff. The BCO awards are in association with EG.

ENDS

About the BCO

The British Council for Offices’ (BCO) mission is to research, develop and communicate best practice in all aspects of the office sector. It delivers this by providing a forum for the discussion and debate of relevant issues.

Established in 1990, the BCO is the UK’s leading forum for the discussion and debate of issues affecting the office sector.

Its members are all organisations involved in creating, acquiring, or occupying office space, whether architects, lawyers, surveyors, financial institutions, or public agencies. The BCO works to advance the collective understanding of its members, enabling them to work together to create more effective office space.

Media Contact:

ING Media

BCO@ing-media.com

T: + 44 (0) 20 7247 8334

Commenting on each of the winners the judges noted the following:

The University of Sheffield AMRC North West really stood out with its triple-height atrium which creates a focal point, where occupiers can interact and exchange ideas. This ‘social heart’ space overlooks the workshop, where these ideas will inform innovative research into new manufacturing processes. The judges felt that flexibility was at the core of the design approach, with working spaces easily reconfigured as classrooms, seminar rooms or offices. The workshop offers varying zones which can be adapted for different tasks, accommodated through both the architectural and services design.

Calico, winner of the Refurbished/Recycled Workplace category is a sensitively refurbished industrial warehouse in Manchester city centre providing flexible workspace across five original storeys and a two-storey roof extension. The clear distinction between the Grade II-listed building fabric and new interventions celebrates a new period in the building’s history, while recognising its former use as an industrial warehouse.

Winner of the Fit out of Workplace category, the judges noted that Brabner’s relocation to 100 Barbirolli Square in Manchester, provided a unique opportunity for the 200-year-old legal firm to transform the way it works and introduce colleagues to a modern working style.  There is a transition away from floorplates dominated by enclosed offices and cellular workstations and a move towards an open, split-level workspace specifically designed to support hybrid and flexible working.  Connected physically and visually through the creation of an internal staircase, the contemporary workplace gives people more choice in where and how they work, and offers a variety of hospitality areas for staff to interact with clients.  The striking design promotes connection and collaboration in an environment inspired by the history of Barbirolli Square, the Halle Orchestra and the concept of sound.

For Stockport Council’s Stopford House the judges awarded the Best Corporate Workplace award saying the space is inspiring, supportive of both work and wellbeing in a flexible, logical and well-designed scheme. A 70’s Brutalist style building, its concrete panels are carefully matched to the council’s adjacent Neo-Wren Town Hall building. Taking a strong sustainable stance, the Council decided to repurpose Stopford House rather than building new. The design team delivered a full workplace strategy enabling the Council to adopt hybrid working and vacate other premises for alternative services. The building’s key architectural features were revealed and improvements made to make it more sustainable. The project has revolutionized the way in which Stockport Council works.

The Lincoln in Manchester city centre, which won the Commercial Workplace award, forms the centrepiece of the Lincoln Square regeneration initiative, a 12-year process involving multiple buildings and landowners which will create three new public spaces – Lincoln Square, Mulberry Square and The Hidden Gem Square.  The Lincoln has been designed to positively create and interface with each of these spaces. The low, long form of the building was defined by a complex Rights of Light envelope which limited the height of the building. The judges noted that the vertical masonry and geometric façade design is informed by the surrounding Victorian architecture and said that The Lincoln is a high-quality, efficient workspace which offers excellent occupier amenity and well-being.

Winner of the ESG award, PZ Cussons Global HQ at Manchester Business Park was delivered in just 12 months from first meeting to handover of the reimagined space. The immersive brand-led workspace demonstrates how complex user engagement can be translated into a creative, future-proofed design, delivered in a way that is respectful to the external envelope of the building, the ongoing operations of a global business, the environment, and the budget.

Employee wellbeing was at the heart of the project, with the new destination office designed to encourage staff to come together. It features paces that give individuals complete control over their workspace, pioneering hybrid video conferencing capabilities for connectivity with global partners and a state-of-the-art fitness centre to ensure PZC’s team stay strong in body and mind.  The team’s circular approached focussed on retaining, repurposing, local sourcing and donating materials for second life. Sustainability was a key factor for the management team and as a result the design concept allowed for the re-purposing of as much of the original fit out as possible.

Commenting on behalf of the judging panel Thomas Bone, Chair of the Northern Judges said: “The winners of this year’s BCO North Awards all really stood out for their highly sustainable approach to design, the novel approach to recycling and re-purposing of materials and well-planned, advanced workspace planning and consultation.

“This year saw the addition of a new prize – the ESG Award – recognising a workplace that will have a game changing influence on the environment, social value, governance or sustainable outcomes in the commercial building sector.  We’re delighted that PZ Cussons is the winner of this inaugural category and the judges were really impressed with the strength of the ESG credentials which all of the winning entrants demonstrated.”

The Northern region winners will now compete for the BCO National Awards in October 2023.

The lead sponsor for this year’s BCO Awards is ISG. Category and Gold sponsors are AECOM, Glamox Luxonic, SAS International and Troup Bywaters + Anders. The BCO awards are in association with EG.

ENDS

Please find a link to images of the winners HERE               

About the BCO

The British Council for Offices’ (BCO) mission is to research, develop and communicate best practice in all aspects of the office sector. It delivers this by providing a forum for the discussion and debate of relevant issues.

Established in 1990, the BCO is the UK’s leading forum for the discussion and debate of issues affecting the office sector.

Its members are all organisations involved in creating, acquiring, or occupying office space, whether architects, lawyers, surveyors, financial institutions, or public agencies. The BCO works to advance the collective understanding of its members, enabling them to work together to create more effective office space.

Media Contact:

Inform Communications

clare@informcomms.co.uk

T: 07947735060

Supporting the office sector to achieve net zero carbon

Many developers already target BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ for new offices. Reflecting the rapid progress in the sector in adopting more demanding sustainability targets, the Guide is moving its minimum BREEAM target rating from ‘Very Good’ to ‘Excellent’, and introduces the latest building certification standard, NABERS UK – an energy performance rating relying on measured energy use. The update recommends targeting a 5-star NABERS UK rating for new building design.

Market trends have fuelled a desire to create flexible, relatively column-free, open-plan offices. However, the structural solutions needed can be carbon intensive. The 2023 update to the Guide aids the future adoption of alternative structural materials such as timber by adding smaller 6.0 and 7.5 m spans to the recommended range. This wider range provides designers with more options to minimise the embodied carbon of the structure.

The selection of high-performance facades, lighting and building services systems should also be made with net zero targets in mind, prioritising energy efficiency.

Richard Kauntze, Chief Executive of the BCO, said: “The BCO Guide to Specification often described as the ‘design bible’ for the office sector is an essential resource for the decision makers who invest in, develop or design millions of square feet of office space every year. The 2023 Update will drive the decarbonisation of the office sector, enacting change to help the industry deliver on the UK’s net zero by 2050 target. This new guidance for the highest-quality offices introduces more generous space standards and greater design flexibility to support wellbeing and sustainability as the office sector adapts to the world of hybrid work.”

Neil Pennell, Chair of the BCO’s Technical Affairs Committee and Head of Design Innovation and Property Solutions at Landsec, said: “The BCO’s new guidance reflects changes in design thinking since 2019 driven by Net Zero Carbon targets, increased hybrid working post COVID-19, changes in regulations and improvements in equipment performance. There is a clear imperative to adopt a whole-building approach to decarbonise the sector which needs to start with the design and specification of new and refurbished office space. Developed in collaboration with the UK’s leading experts, the BCO Guide to Specification gives clear advice on how operational and embodied carbon can be reduced without compromising the need to provide flexible office space that meets the needs of occupiers and helps them to conduct their business in safe, healthy, comfortable and productive workspaces.”

The BCO Guide to Specification update has been developed in consultation with experts from across the industry, including agents, investors, occupiers, and developers.

 –ENDS-

About the BCO

The British Council for Offices (BCO) is the UK’s leading member organisation representing the interests of all those who occupy, design, build, own or manage offices in the UK. The BCO leads on thought leadership and best practice in all issues related to the creation and use of office space – through its research, awards, conference and events programmes. You can learn more about the BCO at www.bco.org.uk.

For more information, please contact:

ING Media
bco@ing-media.com
+ 44 (0) 20 7247 8334

Merseyway Innovation Centre

On Wednesday 24 January, up to 40 BCO North members were given an in-depth look at the prime commercial space, situated in the middle of the town’s retail district. 

Mersey Innovation Centre has been transformed from a vacant 1960s retail space into a vibrant and sustainable co-working space. 

The centre now offers flexible serviced office and coworking accommodation for new start-up and existing small businesses. The revamped space includes a business lounge, shared and individual offices, and shared meeting and collaboration facilities.

The BCO North Talk & Tour event was hosted by Phil Doyle, who served as BCO North Chairperson from 2018–2021 and is the founding director of 5plus Architects. The Manchester-based practice led on the designs that brought the Merseyway Innovation Centre vision to life. 

Representatives from Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council presented their wider plans for the town centre, followed by an update on the South Manchester office market by CBRE. There was then a panel debate, including MIC operator Oxford Innovations Space, on the role of the office sector in the future of our regional town centres and high streets.

Phil commented: “It’s great to see Merseyway Innovation Centre injecting new life into a vacant retail space; transforming part of Merseyway to create a dynamic, modern and thriving hub for local businesses and entrepreneurs. 

“As ever, the BCO Talk & Tour gave our members and other attendees a first-hand look at how forward-thinking office accommodation can help to repurpose spaces and reposition urban centres. 

“We’d like to thank our guest speakers for showcasing their exceptional work and passion for regeneration.”

Formally opened in November 2023, the creation of Merseyway Innovation Centre was made possible through funding from the EU’s European Regional Development Fund (via Northern Powerhouse), Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council, and the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and Cultural Development Fund. 

It is central to the wider regeneration of Merseyway by Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council, which includes a brand-new library along with significant public realm improvements that supports private sector office and retail investment.

The BCO North Talk & Tour event was sponsored by TMT.