Durham County Council Headquarters
ClientDurham County Council
LocationDurham
Project TypeCivic
Value£37m
Area10,000sqm
A new headquarters for Durham County Council in the historic heart of Durham City.
The aspiration to drive efficiency through organisational transformation and agile working was at the heart of the brief together with a desire to create a civic building of quality which would be of lasting significance in the city.
The site, within the city conservation area, lies to the edge of the UNESCO World Heritage Site peninsula crowned by the cathedral and castle and bounded by the River Wear.
It defines the edge of the urban core, adjoining the historic open land of The Sands and fronting onto the river. The building frames a new public square, which engages the river, connecting the Pennyferry Bridge and river walk running north south. Floorplates around a central light filled atrium rise from a lower level fronting the river, to a high point addressing the city peninsula, where the accommodation frames a world class view of the castle and cathedral.
