The redevelopment of a Grade II* listed building has won recognition and put North Tyneside Council in the running for a prestigious conservation award.
The ERS Building, or Block A, at the council’s revitalised Killingworth site has been recognised as one of seven national winners in the 2022 Civic Trust AABC Conservation Awards.
The awards recognise the highest standards of historic building conservation.
The council and the architects, Ainsworth Spark Associates, have been praised for their sensitive approach to the block’s refurbishment, which has seen the building modernised and important architectural features protected and enhanced.
Ninety regional finalists were whittled down to seven, with an overall winner set to be announced on March 7.
Before its refurbishment in 2020/21, Block A was largely unoccupied and in a poor state of repair. The building was formerly the Engineering Research Station of British Gas, designed by Ryder and Yates in 1965 and completed in 1967. It has been described as ‘a tour de force of post-war architecture’ and features sculptural elements such as a tall archway entrance and conical roof features that define the Killingworth skyline.
Block A has since been extensively refurbished to provide a safe, modern, and energy-efficient workplace for hundreds of staff, as part of the council’s £12m project to modernise the Killingworth site.
As well as the striking new look and feel of Block A, the building is integral to carbon reduction plans on the Killingworth site and boasts a range of green features such as energy efficient heating and lighting systems and will soon have solar panels and recycled electric vehicle car battery systems are to be installed to support energy storage and re-use across the site.
Solar car ports, electric vehicle fleet charging points and air source heat pump technology are among the other measures on site.
It follows the declaration of a Climate Emergency by North Tyneside Council in July 2019, with a target to reduce the carbon footprint of the authority and the borough by 50% by 2023 - with 52% already achieved - while also bringing forward its carbon net-zero target by twenty years to 2030.
Councillor Steve Cox, Cabinet Member for Housing, said: “I am extremely proud of our staff and partners for this important achievement.
“The project rationalised several of the council’s operational depots into a unique low carbon site which was to be an exemplar of fabric first design, energy generation and low carbon technology integration.
“The listed status presented us with a big challenge in terms of the refurbishment and the addition of low carbon energy solutions, but the results have been spectacular.
“The interior is thoroughly modern, designed with large open spaces to support flexible working, and the striking architectural features that have been a feature on the local skyline for decades are now looking better than ever.”
Councillor Sandra Graham, Cabinet Member for the Environment, said: “In July 2019, we declared a climate emergency and set a target to reduce the carbon footprint of the authority and the borough by 50% by 2023, and we have already gone beyond that ambitious target and hit 52%, while also bring forward our carbon net-zero target by twenty years to 2030.
“As well as providing an improved working environment for our staff, the redevelopment of the Killingworth site massively reduces its carbon footprint.
“This building is a model of energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions and we are really proud of it. We are also now looking at a project to provide low carbon heat to the site and surrounding buildings by using mine water and geothermal heat sources.”
