Walker House Liverpool : Architecture Information

Location: northwest England, UK, Europe 28 Apr 2009 HKR ARCHITECTS & MINISTRY OF DEFENCE WIN BCO AWARD Photos © McCoy Wynne HKR Architects, (HKR) the international architecture and design practice, has won an award - in the category of Best Fit-out of Workplace for Walker House in Liverpool for the Ministry of Defence (MoD) - at the prestigious British Council for Offices (BCO) Regional Awards, held in Leeds and attended by over 250 architects, designers, occupiers and other property professionals. On receiving the award Sarah Greenwood, interior designer at HKR commented: "Increasingly public sector organisations are recognising the benefits design can bring to their operational efficiency along with enhanced employee recruitment, retention and overall job satisfaction. Our design catered for the MoD's bespoke needs but also the optimum re-use of an existing building that had stood vacant for 20 years. This was a tremendously rewarding project to be involved in and we are absolutely delighted to receive this accolade." An interior fit-out within a Grade II listed building - formerly the Battle of the Atlantic bunker during WWII - Walker House is located in the heart of Liverpool's premier business district at Exchange Flags. The MoD required a flexible non-hierarchal open-plan workspace to radically change how the organisation functioned and to implement a progressive operational transformation over the next 15 years. The design concept of 'Air, Land and Sea' was devised, to enrich the interior, providing flexible space which embraces informal staff breakout areas, meeting points and an open-plan workspace for 600 staff. Four floors of tenant space also comprise a reception area, training suite and a considerable IT data centre, which serves the MoD on a global scale. Dave Southall, project manager for the MoD Liverpool accommodation project said: "We're delighted that Walker House has received recognition for what is truly an inspiring workspace that was delivered to an exceptional standard, despite tight budgetary constraints. In a short time it has transformed the way that the MoD is viewed both internally and externally, and has maximised the working environment for, and the efficiency of, our staff." As a regional winner, Walker House and the MoD, will now be put forward for the 'Best of the Best' at the BCO National Awards which take place in London on Tuesday, October 6th 2009. Neil Taylor, BCO judging chair for the North of England, said: "The MoD's Walker House in Liverpool overcame a number of complexities to deliver a successful building for staff. The quality of winners shows how the region continues to punch above its weight on a national and international level." Pochin Construction undertook the fit-out on behalf of joint venture developers UK Land & Property and Pochin. Simon Parker, managing director at UKLP commented: "Winning this award reinforces our view that the fit-out, and indeed the wider redevelopment of Exchange Flags, is best in its class. This sentiment has been echoed by the occupiers in the building, such as Brabners Chaffe Street, Knight Frank and Regus, all of which have been replicated a similar standard of fit-out in their own offices."