Member Article

Newcastle’s FaulknerBrowns wins top architecture prize

Newcastle Architects FaulknerBrowns have won National Corporate Workplace of the Year and the ‘Best of the Best’ accolades at the British Council for Offices Awards, for their Rochdale Council project, Number One Riverside.

BCO Awards Chairman, Tim Robinson said: ‘Number One Riverside is a true catalyst that will facilitate the transformation and regeneration of the borough of Rochdale. This project united the judges in its success and importance as a focal point for Rochdale.’

Richard Kauntze, Chief Executive of the BCO, added: ‘Each of the buildings recognised in this year’s National Awards represent the very best in visionary office design and functionality. They demonstrate how taking an occupier-centric approach can create innovative and efficient spaces that, as an industry, we can be very proud of.’

Added to the seven previous awards and commendations which this building has received, Number One Riverside is one of, if not the, most honoured of FaulknerBrowns’ buildings for design quality. FaulknerBrowns believes that the new civic offices highlight the ways in which value can be created not only through the rationalisation of an estate, but through the delivery of high quality, aspirational workplaces, creative community spaces and through the impact which the building has already had, and will continue to have, in the regeneration of the town centre.

Steve McIntyre, Partner who led the FaulknerBrowns design team, commented: “These two awards are a fantastic achievement for us. They recognise the huge effort which both the client and design teams made to deliver an amazing town centre regeneration project for Rochdale Borough Council which combines efficiency with a truly flexible working environment. The BCO’s Best of the Best Award is, in my view, the most prestigious and coveted accolade to achieve within the office sector – it is their Oscars and we are thrilled to have been honoured in this way.”

Mark Widdup, Director of Economy and Environment at Rochdale Council said, “Number One Riverside is providing excellent facilities for our customers and residents, and flexible space for Council staff and partners. We had a fantastic team working on this project with the best of the public and private sector working together to create something really special here in Rochdale. These two National BCO Awards recognise our continuing commitment to drive forward the regeneration of Rochdale town centre and the wider borough and I hope these awards catch the interest of potential investors and developers who will want to share in our ambition and our vision for the future.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by FaulknerBrowns .