Elizabeth II Court, Winchester

Reuse and renewal

Project description

The original 1960s Hampshire County Council's office building in Winchester was outdated both in its style and function. Instead of demolishing the existing concrete-framed building, the structure was retained and adapted to fit modern needs and today's stringent energy-saving requirements. To comprehensively refurbish the building was proved in a feasibility study to cost half as much as a new build.

The working environment of countless corridors and cellular rooms was replaced by stylish and flexible open-plan office space. Externally, the building’s outdated appearance has been modernised using local materials and is now much more in harmony with its historic context.

Construction

Retention of the concrete frame saved 50 per cent of the embodied energy normally required to construct a building and use of local bricks helped to significantly reduce related CO2 emissions. A large proportion of demolition materials were recycled through the contractor’s supply chain, including former precast concrete cladding panels that were crushed offsite and re-used as aggregate in other Hampshire projects.

The original building had 12m floor plates and potentially good daylighting which lent itself to the open-plan layout envisaged for the final building. Ventilation issues were solved by having windows open facing the inner courtyard and ducts that ran up the sides of the building facing the road that vented air at the top. The ducts would create a Venturi stack effect that pulls warm air up to cool the building. The approach works, with the internal ambient temperature proving to be 2–3˚C cooler than outside during the summer.

Externally, the facade has been reworked to relate to Winchester’s redbrick cityscape. The ventilation ducts are clad in red brick, with the top part finished in grey-painted metal to represent chimneys. Windows have been inserted between the ducts to create a visual pattern that beaks up the facade.

The concrete benefits

The transformation of the building was aided by its original concrete structure which provided a solid starting point from where the adaptations could take place. At the heart of the finished project is a unique 70:70:30 benefit comprising 70 per cent reduction in energy consumption, 70 per cent increase in space utilisation and 30per cent reduction in overall HQ office space requirement for the client. This combination results in very significant efficiencies and operational cost reductions that the Council will be able to plough back into front line services. 

Project team

Client: Hampshire County Council
Architect: Bennetts Associates
Structural engineer: Gifford
Main contractor: BAM
Project manager: Mace
Cost consultant: Davies Langdon
M&E engineer: Ernest Griffiths
Town planning consultant: Colliers CRE