The judges found the speculative building “more innovative in the field and civically responsible than any of the other new projects”.
Its environmental control system combines displacement ventilation, exposed concrete floor soffits and opening windows with an additional option of conventional fan-coil air-conditioning.
The building was built by Carillion for the Argent Development Consortium, with Ove Arup & Partners and Curtins Consulting Engineers as structural engineers, Hoare Lea & Partners as services engineer and Silk + Frazier as QS.
National awards were also won by Canon’s UK HQ in Reigate, Surrey, designed by David Richmond & Partners, and in the Test of Time category, the 1973 Halifax HQ in Halifax designed by Building Design Partnership.
