Winners Announced: BCO Awards 2018

​The British Council for Offices’ (BCO) is the UK’s leading member organisation representing the interests of all those who occupy, design, build, own or manage offices in the UK. It aims to provide thought leadership and best practice in all issues related to the creation and use of office space. On the 3rd of October 2018, Our Managing Director Del Hossain attended the BCO Awards Dinner at the luxurious Grosvenor House.

Here are the winners of the 2018 BCO Awards:

President’s Award

Winner – Ann Minogue

The BCO National President’s Award: Ann Minogue

Best of the Best and Corporate Workplace

Winner – Bloomberg, 3 Queen Victoria Street, London

Winner of the National Corporate Workplace and Best of the Best Awards: Bloomberg, 3 Queen Victoria Street, London

Bloomberg, located in the heart of the City of London, consolidates the company’s workforce of 4,000 into a new European headquarters for the first time. The BCO judging panel described it as one of the most significant office developments in recent times, and an ‘exceptional’ workplace for its occupants. They agreed that Bloomberg is an exemplar of sustainability and wellbeing: having achieved the highest BREEAM score of any building to date. The judges also were impressed by the building’s striking central spiral ramp, designed to promote collaboration and communication among its staff.

Commercial Workplace

Winner – Number One Kirkstall Forge, Leeds

Highly Commended – White Collar Factory, 1 Old Street Yard, London

Winner of National Commercial Workplace Award: Number One Kirkstall Forge, Leeds

Number One Kirkstall Forge is the first commercial building within Kirkstall Forge, the regeneration of one of the UK’s oldest continually industrialised sites, which will ultimately be transformed into a mixed-used community with a potential for up to 1,000 homes and a total of 300,000 sq.ft. of office space and supporting amenities. The judges praised Number One Kirkstall Forge for delivering a truly unique workplace environment, which subtly reinterprets the site’s wooded riverside setting whilst setting a high standard of contemporary workplace design.

Fit Out of Workplace

Winner – Registers of Scotland – SVP Platform, Glasgow

Winner of the National Fit-Out of Workplace Award: Registers of Scotland – SVP Platform, Glasgow

Registers of Scotland – SVP Platform was designed and delivered as a new smart working environment to support the organisation’s digital transformation programme, relocating staff from their previous Glasgow and Edinburgh offices. The BCO Awards judging panel described the project as a great example of the public sector leading the way in the delivery of excellence in offices. They praised those involved in the project for their seamless and enthusiastic collaboration, which has ultimately lead to the delivery of an excellent working environment for the Registers of Scotland workforce.

Refurbished / Recycled Workplace

Winner – Here East, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Stratford, London

Winner of the Recycled / Refurbished Workplace Award: Here East, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Stratford, London

Here East now provides London with a new tech campus comprising 1.2M sq.ft. of office space for a wide range of tenants and start-up companies. The judges noted the clever architectural interventions, which have transformed the building from a two-storey shed with blank, solid facades to an office with a “dazzling” patterned exterior. The panel describe Here East as a benchmark for tech hubs around the world, as well as a major contributor to the ongoing regeneration of its locale.

Projects up to 1500m2

Winner – Albert Works, 71 Sidney Street, Sheffield

Winner of the Projects up to 1500m2 Award: Albert Works, 71 Sidney Street, Sheffield

Albert Works, is a recently completed workplace converted from disused, and previously dilapidated, traditional red-brick industrial warehouses. It is the first phase of a larger £10 million ‘Alsop’s Field’ regeneration project in the heart of Sheffield’s Cultural Industry Quarter (CIQ) conservation area. The BCO Awards judges praised the sensitivity and quality of both the restoration of the brick warehouse and the seamless integration of the newer intervention, describing the main external façade as boldly different, yet delicate and sympathetic to the building’s historic industrial context.

Innovation

Winner – White Collar Factory, 1 Old Street Yard, London

Winner of the Innovation Award: White Collar Factory, 1 Old Street Yard, London

The 39,285 sqm White Collar Factory, located on Old Street’s ‘Silicon Roundabout’, was lauded by the judges for its ingenuity, creativity and boldness. Notable features of this workplace include a landscaped roof terrace and an elevated running track, both of which have proved popular with tenants. The judging panel commented that the standard set by White Collar factory goes far beyond those of a usual commercial office development and, in their view, will continue to set a high benchmark in innovation for many years to come.