agency was looking to create an
environmentally friendly new home for
itself, which, as well as bringing financial
benefits, they hoped would provide the up
to date technology infrastructure and
working conditions necessary to enable the
organisation to sustain its long-term future.
Employed to enact this vision were
architects AHR, engineers Hydrock, cost
consultant Mace, and main contractor
BAM, with the budget for the new office
being met by the UKHO from business
receipts as a self-funding agency.
AHR, awarded the design services
contract in 2016, was reportedly chosen for
its significant experience working on similar
projects, in particular a new headquarters
for Bath and North East Somerset Council- which had won a number of awards,
including ‘The best of the best’ award 2015
from the British Council for Offices.
From the outset, there was an extremely
close collaborative working relationship
between the client and the practice, bringing
UKHO staff into the design process and
allowing the agency and its workers to
contribute to the vision and eventual feel of
the building.
When the practice first discussed the
proposal with the client, Adam Spall, regional
director at AHR, explains that the UKHO’s
aspiration was for “a ‘one team’ culture.”
Spall explains how they approached
this, telling that it was vital to create a
“physical and visual connection between
all parts of the building,” which resulted “in
an impressive sense of openness for such a
large facility.”
With this open facility now being
completed, its success is testament to the
collaborative approach undertaken. This is
evidenced by its deliverance to an ambitiousOPEN PLAN
The building’s interior is an open, collaborative
environment for the agency’s staff to interact in
18UK HYDROGRAPHIC OFFICE, TAUNTONWWW.ARCHITECTSDATAFILE.CO.UK ADF AUGUST 2019