Woods Hardwick add 'Best New Commercial Construction' to their growing collection

Middle Level Commissioners’ Chief Executive, Iain Smith and Chief Engineer, David Thomas, attended the ceremony and accepted the award. An overjoyed Iain Smith said, “We are delighted to accept the award on behalf of the construction team and client. Everyone involved worked incredibly hard, and the end result is a fantastic solution to our initial brief to Woods Hardwick, who have created a innovative yet practical building for us. This award will be prominently displayed in the reception area of the new offices for all to see!”.
Having outgrown their two town centre locations, The Middle Level Commissioners employed Woods Hardwick to design one new site, housing both their office and maintenance functions.
Completed in June 2010, the new ‘green field’ site rests on the bank of the River Nene in March, and boasts fantastic views across the river, fens and farm land. As the site resides on peat, the ground is expected to shrink, so the linking slab to the depot was designed with this in mind. It has been kept deliberately low with a feature clerestory, maximising the use of natural daylight.
The judging panel were very impressed with the design, stating, “The setting and design of the Middle Level building was exceptional and it blended in remarkably well into the Fen landscape”.
With the old facilities reaching the end of their useful life and the issues of working across two sites, the client is now extremely happy with the new site; the purpose-built offices and separate depot building meets the their requirements, and provides enclosed and covered maintenance facilities for year-round support to the Commissioners’ maintenance and operations on the river system.
Lars Huntley, Associate Director at Woods Hardwick who worked on the project said, ‘This award is fantastic. It’s a great achievement for Woods Hardwick locally, and continues our success in being recognised for imaginative design. It’s especially pleasurable as it comes from the community from which the building is servicing.”