Central Saint Giles Crowned Best Of The Best By The BCO.
Legal & General Property and Mitsubishi Estate Company's (MEC) Central Saint Giles, on which Gerald Eve advised on planning, has won the 'Best of the Best' category and the national award for 'Best Commercial Workspace' at The British Council For Offices (BCO) Awards 2011.
The awards which define 'excellence in office space' were held last night in the Grosvenor House Hotel and hosted by political pundit and broadcaster John Sargeant.
The vibrantly coloured Central Saint Giles, designed by Renzo Piano, is an exemplar of excellence in office-led, mixed-use development consisting of 400,000 sq ft of Grade A office space, 56 private apartments, 53 affordable homes and nine new restaurants and cafe bars arranged around a new courtyard piazza. It is home to NBC Universal, Google, Mindshare, Specific Media and Burson & Marsteller.
The judges said: "This truly cosmopolitan new space for London clearly shows the empathy between developers and the architects. The fact that the building is fully let is a testament to the adaptability and attractiveness of the floor space."
Simon Wilkes head of development at Legal & General Property said: "These awards are a fitting tribute to the entire team involved, which has achieved so much. It has been a great privilege to work with Renzo Piano, an architect of such ability and vision. The entire design and construction team did an outstanding job to turn his vision into reality and in creating, what the judges said is one of the best places to work in London. I of course must also pay tribute to the professionalism and insight of our development partner MEC who shared our vision to deliver one of the world's great buildings.
“Central Saint Giles is not just about great architecture, it is about accessibility and vibrancy and creating a reinvigorated sense of place. We are particularly pleased that last night's awards recognised that Central Saint Giles has made such positive impact on the renaissance of the St Giles area.”
Mitsubishi Estate Company's UK managing director Hiroyuki Arimura added: "Central Saint Giles was the first time we worked in a joint venture with a UK company and we are delighted with what has been achieved. Working with Legal & General has been a very enjoyable and successful partnership.
“We share Legal & General’s esteem for Renzo Piano, who is a brilliant architect. We must also pay tribute to the construction team led by Stanhope which was one of the best we have worked with. We are very proud to have been involved in building great architecture, which has proven so attractive to our tenants and has now been endorsed with such a glowing accolade. We intend to build on this great success in our further commitment to providing quality development in the UK.
Gerald Eve planning partner Lisa Webb who advised the Central Saint Giles Partnership said: "The aim of the project was to create a new place for London whilst integrating the development into the local area. With its new public space and pedestrian routes the scheme knits together Bloomsbury, Covent Garden, Soho and Oxford Street. The judges recognised the contribution that this vibrant new mixed use scheme has made in transforming this neglected part of town."
Other award winners last night included Argent Group's The Hive in Manchester, HF Development's G1 Glasgow, and Northern Irish contractor Graham's new HQ building in Hillsborough, Northern Ireland.
For more information please contact:
Robert Gibson at MJ2 on 0207 259 0503 / 07748 182234