Property professionals from across the Midlands filled Birmingham’s Town Hall as the winners of the prestigious British Council for Offices Midlands & East Anglia regional property sector awards were announced.
A total of 14 properties and projects were shortlisted for the five awards, with the winners from each category going on to compete in the national awards later this year on Tuesday 4 October at Grosvenor House in London.
The winners for the Midlands region include:
· 22 Station Road in Cambridge, which has been awarded Best Commercial Workplace based on its flexibility, efficiency, sympathetic architecture and subsequent commercial success.
· The Enterprise Centre, part of the University of East Anglia in Norwich, which has been awarded Best Corporate Workplace for its stimulating interior and groundbreaking low-carbon sustainable technologies, teamed with its bright, spacious feel and state-of-the-art facilities. The workspace has also been put forward as the Regional nomination for the prestigious BCO Innovation Award, with the winner being announced at the BCO National Awards in October.
· The Volkswagen Financial Services building in Milton Keynes, which has been awarded Best Fit Out of Workplace, based on its introduction of new ways of working, design and consideration for individual employee needs.
· 51 Hills Road in Cambridge, which has been awarded Best Project up to 2,000 m2, based on its exemplary, contextual and holistic approach to a modest high street building.
· Holkham Studios in Norfolk which has been awarded Best Refurbished and Recycled Workplace after being converted from a derelict Grade II and II* listed farm building into a North Norfolk coast headquarters office premises.
The BCO awards, established in 1992, in association with Estates Gazette and sponsored this year again by ISG, seek to provide public recognition and a benchmark for excellence in workplaces.
Judging Chairman, Matt Viall of Turner & Townsend cost management said: “The entrants to this year’s BCO Regional Awards were judged on a variety of factors against some of the toughest competition in the industry. The emerging winners should be proud of their fully deserved titles – we wish them all the best at the National Awards in October.”
Richard Kauntze, Chief Executive of the British Council of Offices, said: “The regional entrants to this year’s awards have truly set the bar for future projects across the country. They are all a testament to the quality of new office development in the Midlands and I look forward to seeing what the future holds for those involved.”