Birmingham office building recognised for standing the test of time
A Birmingham City Council office building has been recognised for staying true to its original design principles.
The offices, at 10 Woodcock Street, next to Aston University, originally opened six years after the local authority consolidated 25 buildings into one.
Its longevity has seen its receive the Test of Time award at the British Council for Offices (BCO) annual national awards.
The category recognises excellence in workplace design and how a building has continued to live up to its original aspirations.
Judging the submissions was a panel of experts comprising Turner & Townsend’s Matt Viall (chairman), Glenn Howells Architects’ Davinder Bansal, Anticus Consulting’s Simon Carter, CBRE’s Theo Holmes and Cundall’s Rob Van Zyl.
The panel said the city council office had performed “incredibly well”, securing closer collaboration and interaction between the council’s services and teams, maintaining its flexible working environment and providing an agile workplace that has been fully adopted.
10 Woodcock Street
The judges were impressed at the building’s transformation, and with how well it is continuing to deliver as a workspace for the council and its staff.
The judges highlighted that as a direct result of deep research and strong engagement into planning the design, there had been no design changes since occupation, something rare in a building of this scale.
The home of Wolverhampton-based pubco Marston’s was also recognised.
Marston’s House was Highly Commended in the awards’ Corporate Workplace category for the way its had transformed obsolete 1960s offices into a modern and creative workplace.
The panel praised the architects for creating multiple working spaces, ranging from informal meeting areas to multi-functional work spaces on the ground floor, plus “pub style” meeting areas (below).
Marston’s House
Matt Viall said: “It’s great to see two really well-designed and used buildings in the West Midlands being picked out by the judges in the national awards. It’s particularly heartening to see that Birmingham City’s Council’s multi-award-winning office has remained true to its original intent and objectives, delivering a superb work space for staff.”
Richard Kauntze, chief executive of the BCO, added: “After six years since its completion, Birmingham City Council’s building has exceeded expectations. The building continues to provide the occupiers with a highly flexible space, fully accessible to those with disabilities, and centred around a large atrium which provides a welcoming hub space for employees and customers to interact.
“In winning the Test of Time award, the building has demonstrated how the principles of increasing collaboration and facilitating agile working remain key to modern office development.”
