Wiltshire offices win another award
Offices designed for Wiltshire Council have won a second design award this month.
The Bourne Hill Offices scheme (pictured) in Salisbury has just been awarded a British Council for Offices (BCO) regional award for best ‘Refurbished/Recycled Workplace’. This follows the architecture award given to the scheme by RIBA earlier in May.
The council offices, designed by architects Stanton Williams, are a combination of an existing Grade II* Listed mansion and new, low-energy office accommodation. The offices have achieved a BREEAM rating of ‘Excellent’.
Lead contractors for the £15.8m scheme were Morgan Sindall and the project was completed in August 2010. The offices were officially opened in March by the Countess of Wessex. The existing mansion and gardens are used for various activities including weddings and ceremonies. The office space, amounting to approximately 28,000 sq ft spread over 3 floors, is now home to 500 Wiltshire Council staff. Council staff have now relocated from 11 existing Salisbury offices.
The scheme was originally proposed by the council who argued that a reduction in the number of council offices and a move to an energy-efficient building would be cost effective in the long term. The council also suggested that one larger, eco-friendly office building would reduce their carbon footprint.
However, the scheme was not without its critics when the plans were voted on in 2006. A 2,000-strong petition against the development was presented to the council and around 50 residents protested outside the council meeting. Ruth Kelly, then Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, approved the scheme as did the Audit Commission and English Heritage.
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