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 | | ANTI-VANDAL DESIGN JOBCENTRE OPENS | | | Stephen George & Partners | | 09/10/2006 | | |
A £1.5 m vandal-proof Jobcentre building, designed by a leading Midlands architect, has been unveiled in the Durham coastal town of Seaham.
The building, designed by Leicester/Nottingham/Solihull based Stephen George & Partners, replaces the previous Jobcentre, which was previously damaged in a fire.
Stephen George & Partners, the third biggest architectural practice in the Midlands, faced a number of challenges when it was asked to design the replacement building, which incorporates various anti-vandalism features. These include night time shutters to protect the windows, anti-vandal coatings and a natural line of defence in the form of thorny shrubs and similar plants. Stephen George & Partners, Principal Architect Martyn Baker said that the building was on an unprotected site in a rundown part of Seaham, and had suffered from vandalism in the past.
He said: 'This was certainly a challenging project, as we had to come up with a design that was both welcoming to those members of the public using the building, but at the same which offered a high degree of protection from vandals.
'The building also had to meet the demanding BREEAM (building research establishment environmental assessment method) standard.
'This is a nationally recognised building standard, which ensures that a building meets certain stringent environmental considerations, including the use of 'green' building materials and energy efficiency.'
In fact, the design of the 800sq m building was considered so successful that it was deemed worthy of being entered for a prestigious Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) award.
Stephen George & Partners was commissioned by developer Land Securities Trillium to design the building, which was completed just eight months after leaving the drawing board.
The project is the latest to be completed by the firm, which is currently involved in a number of major schemes throughout the country, including the redevelopment of a former steelworks site at Llanwern, South Wales.
The firm counts a number of leading West Midlands developers as clients, including Parkridge Developments Ltd, Prologis Developments Ltd, St Modwen Developments Ltd, The Catesby Property Group and JJ Gallagher Ltd.
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