Member Article

Transformative Park and Ride Scheme Receives Top Award

Having only opened 18 months ago, Colchester’s first park and ride facility has been named as Civic Building of the Year by the SPACES Awards.

The £4 million project, delivered by independent management, design and construction consultancy Pick Everard last year, has revolutionised the commuter traffic in Essex’s oldest town. The consultancy picked up the hotly contested Civic Building of the Year award.

“It’s a great honour to have been recognised at a national level for designs which have made such a difference to the local area,” said Gary Buick, director at Pick Everard.

“We’re delighted to have won this industry standard award, recognising the revolutionising effects the building has had on the city as well as the excellent standards achieved in terms of design and construction,” continued Gary.

Winners are selected through a rigorous shortlisting process and assessment panel visits. The SPACES Awards is the only awards scheme which recognises design and construction excellence in the public sector and receives submissions from projects across the UK each year.

Pick Everard delivered design, project management and contract administrator services on the project.

“Colchester’s park and ride is at the cutting edge of contemporary design, with bespoke timber beams creating a focal point to the terminal building – as well as forming the superstructure frame. The seedam brown roof and timber cladding have also added to the overall aesthetic which has created a sense of space inside and movement within the building.

“We’ve designed a functional and practical building which is wholly fit for purpose – as well as maintaining an innovative design which is completely in keeping with the surroundings,” said Gary.

The park and ride facility usage has almost doubled since its initial opening, with almost 3,600 visitors, residents and commuters making use of the new facilities every week – with seasonal peaks boosting these figures throughout the year.

“The chronic need to alleviate congestion was evident and what the park and ride scheme has created is a sustainable traffic flow, transferring journeys to a more network efficient bus service. In terms of environmental impact, this has obviously made a huge difference.

“Acting as project manager and contract administrator, we were also able to accommodate the tight timescales requested by the clients,” added Gary.

Pick Everard, which operates nationally, celebrates its 150th anniversary this year, with 11 offices across the UK.

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