Ansty Business Park, central England

Allies and Morrison Unveils Design of New Office/R&D Centre for Leading Telecoms Company as the Project Starts On Site 31 Mar 2008 Following a successful planning application in September 2007, work has recently started on site for a new office/ and research and development centre for leading telecoms company Ericsson on a prominent site at the international Ansty Business Park in the West Midlands, designed by architects Allies and Morrison. Commissioned by Highbridge Properties Plc in December 2006, the two new buildings form the first phase of the Ansty Business Park development and will provide a total of 136,838 sq ft of office and research accommodation allowing the occupier, Ericsson, to relocate two of its current operations onto a single site. The first building provides office space and the second will house Ericsson's largest UK Research and Development facility. Located on a former airfield site, Allies and Morrison’s design has been informed by the topography and the surrounding landscape. Considered siting of the new buildings and their relationship to the adjacent landscape will afford views across the countryside and, by locating the first of the two new buildings prominently at the entrance to the site, create a distinctive sense of place. By pairing the timber and cement board-clad buildings along a pedestrian route, a series of courts are created to form a shared landscaped entrance space and external eating areas and lawns. Sustainability is an integral part of the project which includes a bio mass boiler and aims for a Very Good BREEAM rating. The project is due for completion in Spring 2009.