Hounslow House
Hounslow House
LocationHounslow
Coordinates51°28′07″N 0°22′03″W / 51.4686°N 0.3675°W / 51.4686; -0.3675
Built2017-2019
ArchitectSheppard Robson
Architectural style(s)Postmodern style
Hounslow House is located in London Borough of Hounslow
Hounslow House
Shown in Hounslow

Hounslow House is a municipal facility in Bath Road, Hounslow, London. The building is the headquarters of Hounslow London Borough Council.

History

After Hounslow Civic Centre became uneconomic to operate,[1] Hounslow London Borough Council decided to procure a smaller facility which would be located in the centre of the borough and more accessible to the public.[2] The site they selected on Bath Road had previously been occupied by a car park.[3] Linkcity were appointed the developer for the site in January 2017.[4][5]

Construction of the new facility, to be known as Hounslow House, began in November 2016.[2] It was designed by Sheppard Robson in the postmodern style,[6] built by Bouygues Construction[7] at a cost of £66 million[8] and became available for occupation in April 2019.[9][10] Approximately 1,300 employees were relocated during the move.[11] The new building was officially opened by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, on 1 May 2019.[1][12]

Hounslow Library, which had been based in the Treaty Centre, relocated to the new building as part of the development.[13][14]

Architecture

The design involves a symmetrical main frontage with sixteen glazed bays, separated by geometric shapes made from anodised aluminium, facing Lampton Road.[15] The building, which measures 16,000 square metres (170,000 sq ft), is seven storeys high. The ground floor is occupied by public meeting rooms; the library and registrar's office as well as the new adult education classrooms, are on the first floor; the offices of the council officers and their departments are on the second, third, fourth and fifth floors, while the council chamber is on the top floor.[15] Hounslow Clinical Commissioning Group and the Metropolitan Police also have customer access points in the new building.[1]

The design was highly commended in the borough-led projects category of the London Planning Awards in January 2020.[16]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Mayor of London opens new Hounslow civic centre". Capital West London. 1 May 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Hounslow House". London Borough of Hounslow. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  3. ^ "Ordnance Survey Map". 1988. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  4. ^ "Linkcity signs agreements to bring €475.9m development to life (UK)". Europe Real Estate. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  5. ^ "Linkcity signs deal for new development in Hounslow". Property EU. 24 January 2017. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  6. ^ "Sheppard Robson wins planning for Hounslow civic centre". Architects Journal. 15 March 2016. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  7. ^ "Hounslow Civic Centre". Buildington. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  8. ^ "Total cost of the new Hounslow House". Freedom of Information request. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  9. ^ "Hounslow Council's Multimillion Pound New Headquarters Opens". Brentford, TW8. 12 April 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  10. ^ "Council completes move to Hounslow House". Chiswick Herald. 24 April 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  11. ^ "London Borough of Hounslow smoothly relocates 1,300 employees". Crown Workspace. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  12. ^ "Mayor Of London Opens New Hounslow Council Headquarters". Neighbour.net. 1 May 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  13. ^ "Hounslow Library to close ahead of relocation". Hounslow Council. 9 May 2017. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  14. ^ "One-week closure as Hounslow library prepares to move to temporary home to make way for new Job Centre Plus". My London. 26 April 2017. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  15. ^ a b "Hounslow House". Sheppard Robson. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  16. ^ "London's standout developments celebrated at London Planning Awards". London First. 29 January 2020. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
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