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COMMERCIAL & WORKPLACE Council office facelift’s bespoke facade


The £42m refurbishment of the 1970s Merrion House, Leeds City Council’s offices, which is located in the city centre, was part of the council’s workplace strategy designed to unite staff from multiple buildings under one roof to create a better working environment, while also reducing rental costs. The refurbishment also included the creation of an additional 15,500 m2


of


office space in an annex building, which is linked to a new community hub –


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including several retail spaces on the ground floor – via an atrium. The building was designed by


architectural practice BDP and delivered by main contractor BAM Construction, while the curtain walling system for the bespoke facade was supplied and installed by specialist contractor FGS. Developed to achieve a BREEAM


Excellent rating for sustainability, BDP designed the remodelled building with a material palette that reflected the


conservation area and landmark buildings that are within close proximity of the project. The design of the project has been shortlisted for the 2019 RIBA Yorkshire awards. The curtain walling, which was


fabricated by Facade & Glazing Solutions (FGS), is Wictec by Wicona, which was specified for its slim face width and strength, enabling it to carry brick slip feature beams with steel frame reinforcements.


ADF FEBRUARY 2020


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