Keynsham Civic Centre has been named the best place in the UK to work, having won the top prize in the British Council for Offices (BCO) National Awards.
Bath & North East Somerset Council won the corporate workplace prize as well as the best of the best award at an awards’ ceremony on Wednesday 7th October.
The BCO says that Keynsham Civic Centre & One Stop Shop was given the award for providing an environmentally sustainable, low maintenance and flexible workspace, whilst acting as a catalyst for the regeneration of the town.
The judges felt the Civic Centre clearly served the local community with half of the area given over to public realm. As a workplace for the Council, judges praised the building’s impressive use of natural light to create an “uplifting workspace” as well as the design of the office floors which lend themselves toward flexibility and encourage collaborative working.
Councillor Charles Gerrish (Conservative, Keynsham North), Cabinet Member for Finance & Efficiency: “I’d like to congratulate the team involved; this award reflects all their hard work.
“The Civic Centre is part of a £34 million redevelopment of Keynsham. It is also a key part of the Council’s contribution to the district-wide carbon emission reduction target of 45% by 2026.
“By generating our own solar energy on-site can keep the building’s running costs low. Not only does this benefit the environment, it also saves the Council and local taxpayers money which can be used to support essential frontline services.”
The award-winning development is part of a Council-wide programme to transform its offices and the technology it uses to make savings, benefit the environment and improve services for customers, with one stop shops such as the one at Keynsham designed to put residents first.
The programme reduces office space by 40%, reduces energy use (in all offices) by 70% and is a key part of the £15M of back office savings that have been achieved over the last three years.
Peter Crowther, property director at Bruntwood Estates and awards chairman, said: “This is an inspirational development that improves working practices and offers much to the local community in terms of its public facilities and its form within the urban landscape.
“Whereas the scale and formality of a number of civic buildings can often serve to drive away the people they are designed to accommodate, this development provides a clear, accessible and inviting beacon of civic pride.
“To achieve all of this whilst also delivering such a low carbon building is remarkable.”
BCO chief executive Richard Kauntze added: “The judges were unanimous in the opinion that the Keynsham Civic Centre & One Stop Shop is an excellent building that offers much to the local community.
“At a time where office space is in high demand, creating a dynamic workplace that delivers to both those using the space, and the community it forms part of, is more important than ever.”
Adam Spall, the architect who led the design, said: “AHR was very pleased to be selected to design the new Civic Centre as it was clear from the outset that the brief was both pioneering and challenging, aspiring to the highest standards of sustainable design.
“This project is much more than a new office building for the Council: the ambition of the client has been to spark regeneration, enhance the public realm, improve connectivity, and instil community ownership in the project.
“It sets a high bar for future development within the county, creating an impressive precedent by a local authority which aims to lead by example.
“We are delighted that the efforts of the team have been recognised with two prestigious National BCO awards.”
Keynsham Civic Centre is amongst the most energy-efficient in the country, and features one of the largest council-owned solar panel systems in the UK.
The 750 solar panels – which cover an area equivalent to more than four tennis courts – will generate over 230,000 units of electricity each year, equivalent to the annual energy use of almost 70 homes.
This will benefit the Council by around £50,000 every year, and reduce annual CO2 emissions by 125 tonnes.
Over 20 years the benefits are expected to reach almost £1.5 million, and avoid CO2 emissions of 2,355 tonnes.
