BRENT CIVIC CENTRE ACHIEVES PRACTICAL COMPLETION

The landmark new Brent Civic Centre has achieved practical completion in the north London borough of Brent. The multipurpose development allows the Council to realise its vision for a consolidated facility that houses their civic, public and administrative functions under one unified roof, providing office space for 2000 staff. Located on a prominent site next to two well-known civic icons, Wembley Stadium and Wembley Arena, it will streamline all aspects of the Council’s activities and has been designed to become the new hub and heart for the community where residents can meet, shop and eat.

The building’s spaces are arranged around a soaring, naturally-lit foyer and atrium which houses a large public amphitheatre and staircase that will host a programme of high-quality arts and cultural experiences that will enhance the building. A circular Drum clad in timber fins features prominently in this space and houses a multi-purpose community hall, library, one-stop shop and civic chamber. Behind this, glazed office wings are open-plan and flexible to provide a future-proofed solution to the diverse community’s administrative needs. The building also includes space for retail outlets and a landscaped garden to help it to connect further with the surrounding Wembley Regeneration Area.

The project has been awarded the coveted BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ rating, the highest possible, and is the first project in its category to have achieved this. As such, it features a 33% reduction in carbon emissions thanks to a combination of solar shading, natural ventilation, high-performance façade, and combined cooling, heating and power which utilises waste fish oil. It is the most sustainable local authority building to be completed in the UK.

The project team included Brent Council as client, Hopkins Architects as architect, Skanska as design and build contractor, URS for town planning, engineering design, environmental and sustainability services including the BREEAM assessment, and Turner & Townsend as quantity surveyor and project manager.

Commenting on Turner & Townsend’s role, director David Walker, said: “Turner & Townsend has a reputation in excellence when it comes to delivering sustainable design, be it in the UK on behalf of clients PwC and St Andrews University, or overseas where we recently achieved India’s first LEED platinum rating for a retail store on behalf of Marks and Spenser’s.

“This was a challenging project requiring an uncompromising commitment to sustainability to meet the client’s regeneration mission, as well as the need to deliver an exceptionally designed and stylish multi-purpose building on budget and deadline.”