Projects : Commercial

Cambridge Water Company Headquarters

The Architect was awarded the commission to design the new Cambridge Water Company headquarters, following a limited design competition.

The choice of the site was easy, it was already owned by the Cambridge Water Company. The original pumping station was built in the mid 1930's.

The existing pumping station was turned into offices in the 1980's and was in a poor condition. The existing building was symmetrical on plan and elevations, as was the original external car park layout, access to site, walls and planting.

The Architects' design was to adopt an Architectural Philosophy that had informed the original, the most obvious visual connection between new and old being the retention of the original façade. This façade is now encapsulated behind a two storey glazed conservatory that immediately thrusts the old building into the 21st Century. Wherever possible, the smallest details from the original were retained, for example the lead Cambridge Water Company embossed rainwater hoppers and downpipes, main entrance stonework and original coat of arms returned to its then original location after twenty years of storage.

Building Area: 1441 m2 Gross Internal
Project Completed: March 2006

BCR received the David Unwin Award 2007 from Cambridge City Council "for an outstanding contribution to the townscape of Cambridge."