Enterprise Centre wins Best of the Best

The Enterprise Centre at the University of East Anglia was announced as Best of the Best, as well as the national winner of the Corporate Workplace category at this year’s British Council for Offices (BCO) Awards on 4 October.

Environmental engineering director James Hepburn collected the award with architects Architype at the event which took place at the Grosvenor Hotel in London.

The judges praised the building for “showcasing sustainable design at its best and pushing the boundaries of eco-development in almost every way possible.” They were also impressed with its “wide range of highly flexible accommodation with incubation and collaborative spaces for new and developing businesses in a building equipped to deliver for the 21st century.”

Working with Architype and Morgan Sindall as contractor, we provided full engineering and sustainability for this exemplar low carbon building that achieved two of the most rigorous sustainable built environment standards, BREEAM Outstanding with a score of 93.0% and Passivhaus.

The project is designed to achieve a 100 year lifespan and exemplifies the use of local materials and construction to stimulate the local economy and traditional skills. Timber came from Thetford Forest, straw for the innovative prefabricated thatch panels from Norfolk and various low carbon building materials were all locally sourced and fabricated.

Three BDP projects were shortlisted for this year’s BCO national awards following wins at the regional awards in May. In addition to the Enterprise Centre, The Technology and Innovation Centre at the University of Strathclyde won the Innovation award in the Scottish region and PwC’s Bristol office won the Fit-out category in the South West and Wales region.