A visual celebration of the company's rich industrial heritage
North East RIBA Regional Award 2019
FaulknerBrowns Architects for City Electrical Factors
Contract value: £11m
GIA: 3,645m²
Cost per m²: £3,018
Janet Nash House is the new European IT headquarters for global electrical business City Electrical Factors (CEF). The building has been tailored to the needs of the firm, allowing its employees to communicate more efficiently in an environment that promotes collaboration and well-being.
The jury recognised the influence of a far-sighted brief set by a progressive client, and the clarity of the design solution.
The building materials are a physical expression of the layering of components within the client’s core product, the electrical cable. This design cue allows the building to become a visual celebration of CEF’s company ethos and rich industrial heritage.
Design of the working environments supports the varying requirements of different departments. To the north are cellular spaces, specialist workplaces and breakout areas which require a high level of control over access, lighting, privacy and acoustics. To the south are more open, fluid and transient environments to support creative processes. They are separated by a glazed atrium connecting to a prominent staircase, with interactive spaces and enhanced amenities.
Sustainability and well-being strategies are detailed and comprehensive. The precast concrete frame works both as structural frame and an environmental control system. Systems appear invisible – the primary materials and quality of light predominate.
The building exudes design quality and expresses the integration of design with the corporate vision of CEF. The result is the opposite of paternalistic however – it suggests a working environment for the good of one and all.
Client of the Year
Building of the Year