An office in Edinburgh was among two Scottish offices which were chosen as among the best in the UK at the British Council for Offices (BCO) annual National Awards ceremony in London last night.
PwC Edinburgh secured the award for Best Fit Out of Workplace and The Albus in Glasgow was named Best Project up to 2,000sqm while
The BCO’s respected National Awards programme recognises top quality office design and functionality and sets the standard for excellence across the office sector in the UK. Over 1250 of the country’s top designers, developers, architects and occupiers, who won their category in the 2015 Regional Awards programme, attended last night’s National Awards dinner, hoping to take home the National Award for their category.
PwC Edinburgh, winner of the Best Fit-Out of Workplace, provided a transformational relocation that ties clearly to the business’s mission statement, “Together: One Firm, One Space, One Future”. After grasping the opportunity presented by a large single floor in Edinburgh’s newest and greenest office development, the judges particularly congratulated PwC for taking the decision to relocate in advance of its lease expiry, and for considering structured interaction with staff and clients at every stage of the process. The new office provides a coherent mix of spaces to create a single and unified workspace that delivers to a range of different business needs.
The judges awarded Glasgow’s The Albus the title of Best Workplace Under 2000msq in recognition of its status as a sustainable development that embraces both the social and economic requirements of the area. Designed to meet a variety of needs for its creative and technical occupiers, the building is comprised of flexible, self-contained spaces that can be altered and personalised to fit to the bespoke needs and identities of the businesses that occupy it. Standing confidently in the community in which it serves, The Albus is considered a truly sustainable development. The judges also commented that the quality of the design, workmanship and internal environment stood out not just in this rapidly changing part of the City, but also across the whole of Scotland.
Peter Crowther, Property Director at Bruntwood Estates and BCO National Awards Chairman, commented: “It’s very impressive to see Scotland playing host to two of this year’s very deserving national winners. While PwC Edinburgh provides an impressive example of how to deliver a workplace that meets the needs of its occupiers, the team behind The Albus have shown us what’s possible when the client, design team and contractor collaborate closely.”
Richard Kauntze, Chief Executive of the BCO, said: “We were delighted to see such an incredibly high standard set by the Scottish projects entered into this year’s awards. The two winning workplaces demonstrate that both Glasgow and Edinburgh are continuing to fly a flag for excellence in terms of office design in Scotland, with both buildings demonstrating just what can be achieved when applying a strong vision and confidence in design expertise.”
For more information about the awards and this year’s winners visit the BCO website (www.bco.org.uk). Entries for 2016’s BCO Regional and National Awards programme open on Wednesday today and close on Friday 27th November 2015.
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
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