ABSTRACT
Introduction The BRE initiated the design of new offices for the Fire Research Station, which was to be relocated to its Garston site in April 1994. The architects were selected by competition from over 80 architect-led teams. The new building is a landmark building, intended to be a replicable example of cutting-edge environmental design. The project was to be based on the new performance specification, Energy Efficient Office of the Future, devised by BRECSU in collaboration with a group of key companies and other interested organizations. It was also decided to adopt a new method of procurement, in the form of the New Engineering Contract. As a result, all consultants were involved from the earliest stages of design, and were joined by the main contractor during the production information stage to assist with value engineering and advising on buildability. The completed building has since been heralded by the government as a ‘key exemplar of leading edge British creativity’ [BD 1319] and was nominated as a ‘Millennium Product’.
