Barking Business Centre
| Client | Mclaren Construction for London Borough of Barking & Dagenham |
| Role | Architect |
| Project | New Build Office |
| Site | Barking, Essex |
| Value | £2.8m |
Overview
As part of Barking's King William Street Quarter development, the office building will provide 1560m2 of office space and which aims to meets the client's requirement for a attractive, well designed and distinctive building which will bring vibrancy to the area and signal that Barking is an area where new businesses can thrive. The offices will be aimed primarily at new and small local start up businesses and the building itself will form a key architectural focal point of the King William Street plan.
The proposals form Phase 1 of a two stage development, with Phase 2 forming a second wing along the Linton Road frontage. The design is a four storey steel framed structure with facing bricks forming the façade. The brick chosen is the Freshfield Lane Brickworks Selected Dark Facing which aims to complement the adjacent housing development, and also provides a distinct identity to the office building itself.
Window and entrance glazing will be a high specification aluminium system which will include coloured glass feature panels. The front and the South East elevation will include a brise soleil over each window. The building will have a bio-diverse roof and roof mounted photovoltaic arrays which will contribute towards a BREEAM "Excellent" rating for the building.
The interior of the building will aim to provide a flexible modern urban aesthetic suited to young enterprising businesses. The development will benefit from extensive landscaping to the frontage of the building along Cambridge Road.