Brent Civic Centre | |
---|---|
General information | |
Type | Municipal headquarters |
Location | Engineers Way, Wembley Park |
Town or city | London |
Country | United Kingdom |
Coordinates | 51°33′32″N0°16′53″W / 51.5590°N 0.2815°W Coordinates: 51°33′32″N0°16′53″W / 51.5590°N 0.2815°W |
Opened | 2013 |
Owner | Brent London Borough Council |
Design and construction | |
Architect | Hopkins Architects |
Main contractor | Skanska |
Brent Civic Centre is the headquarters of Brent London Borough Council, situated on Engineers Way in the Wembley Park area of the London Borough of Brent. It was opened in 2013, replacing the former headquarters at Brent Town Hall located a mile north on Forty Lane.
The building was commissioned to replace the aging Brent Town Hall. [1] The site selected for the new building had previously been occupied by the former Palace of Industry which had been built for the British Empire Exhibition in 1924. [2]
The construction work started on site in November 2010. [3] The new building, which was designed by Hopkins Architects [4] and built by Skanska at a cost of £75 million, [5] was officially opened to the public on 6 October 2013. [6]
Key aspects of the internal design for the nine-storey glass structure included a large atrium and a feature looking like a circular drum. The atrium, which at 30 metres (98 ft) high, was also intended to double as an events venue, featured a wide staircase which was fitted with seating in the central section so allowing it to function as a grandstand. [7] The circular drum, which was clad in timber, was partitioned inside to create a council chamber, community hall and library. [8] The design also allowed the building to act as a community hub, with two cafés, entertainment spaces, meeting rooms and a wedding garden. [9] When it opened, the civic centre was described by a journalist at the Guardian as "like ...the parliament of a small nation state". [10]
The scheme allowed some 2,000 council staff carrying out civic and administrative functions, who had previously been based at various locations around the borough, to be co-located in one place. The intention was to provide most of the Council's services in the new building, which is roughly in the centre of the borough, other than its archives department which was to remain at The Library at Willesden Green. [11] Brent Civic Centre was awarded a BREEAM 'Outstanding' rating. The design reduced carbon emissions by a third thanks to solar shading, natural ventilation and a combined cooling, heating and power using waste fish oil. [12]
In May 2015 the building had to be evacuated when an unexploded 50 kilograms (110 lb) Luftwaffe bomb dating from the Second World War was uncovered by construction workers operating in Empire Way. [13]
Harlesden is a district in the London Borough of Brent, North West London.
Neasden is a suburban area in northwest London, England. It is located around the centre of the London Borough of Brent and is within the NW2 (Cricklewood) and NW10 (Willesden) postal districts. Neasden is near Wembley Stadium, the Welsh Harp, and Gladstone Park; the reservoir and River Brent marks its boundaries with Kingsbury and Wembley, while Gladstone Park and the Dudding Hill line separates it from Dollis Hill and Church End respectively. The A406 North Circular Road runs through the middle of Neasden; to the west is the Neasden Underground Depot, Brent Park retail area and the St Raphael's Estate; on the east is Neasden tube station, the large Neasden Temple, and former Neasden Power Station. The area is known as the place where Bob Marley lived after moving from Jamaica, living at a house in The Circle; the house was honoured with a blue plaque in 2012.
The London Borough of Brent is a London borough in north-west London. It borders the boroughs of Harrow to the north-west, Barnet to the north-east, Camden to the east, the City of Westminster to the south-east, as well as the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham and Ealing to the south. Most of the eastern border is formed by the Roman road Watling Street, which is now the modern A5.
Wembley is a large suburb in north-west London, England, 8 miles (13 km) northwest of Charing Cross. It includes the neighbourhoods of Alperton, North Wembley, Preston, Sudbury, Tokyngton and Wembley Park. The population was 102,856 in 2011.
Birmingham Central Library was the main public library in Birmingham, England, from 1974 until 2013, replacing a library opened in 1865 and rebuilt in 1882. For a time the largest non-national library in Europe, it closed on 29 June 2013 and was replaced by the Library of Birmingham. The building was demolished in 2016, after 41 years, as part of the redevelopment of Paradise Circus by Argent Group. Designed by architect John Madin in the brutalist style, the library was part of an ambitious development project by Birmingham City Council to create a civic centre on its new Inner Ring Road system; however, for economic reasons significant parts of the master plan were not completed, and quality was reduced on materials as an economic measure. Two previous libraries occupied the adjacent site before Madin's library opened in 1974. The previous library, designed by John Henry Chamberlain, opened in 1883 and featured a tall clerestoried reading room. It was demolished in 1974 after the new library had opened.
Wembley Park is a district of the London Borough of Brent, England. It is roughly centred on Bridge Road, a mile northeast of Wembley town centre and 7.6 miles (12 km) northwest from Charing Cross.
Willesden was a local government district in the county of Middlesex, England from 1874 to 1965. It formed part of the Metropolitan Police District and London postal district. Willesden was part of the built-up area of London and bordered the County of London to the east and south.
The Mississauga Civic Centre is the seat of local government of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. The 37,280 square metre complex is a prominent example of postmodern architecture in Canada, finished in 1987 by Jones and Kirkland. It stands at 92 metres or 302 feet. The design was influenced by farmsteads which once occupied much of Mississauga as well as historical features of city centres. The building, for instance, includes a prominent clock tower. It was chosen as the winner of a design competition that included 246 submissions. Mississauga Civic Centre is located in the City Centre near Square One Shopping Centre and is home to the Mississauga City Council. The civic center building is considered one of the most iconic and recognizable buildings and cultural icons of Mississauga city.
The Civic Centre in Dagenham is a former municipal building in Becontree Heath, an area within the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. The building was designed in the modern style by the British architect Ernest Berry Webber in 1936 and was opened the following year. The local authority, Barking and Dagenham London Borough Council, occupied the building until 2016 when it was vacated and leased to CU London, a new university, the following year. It was designated as a Grade II listed building in 1981.
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The College of North West London (CNWL) is a large further education college in north-west London, England. It was established in 1991 by the merger between Willesden Technical College and Kilburn Polytechnic in the London Borough of Brent. Today there are two campuses in the borough, in Willesden and Wembley Park, while a smaller training centre also exists in King's Cross in the borough of Camden. Over 11,000 students were enrolled at the college as of 2015.
Fryent Country Park, together with Barn Hill Open Space, is a large park situated in the north of the London Borough of Brent. It covers 103 hectares of rolling fields and small woods.
Brent Town Hall, formerly Wembley Town Hall, is a landmark building in Wembley Park in the London Borough of Brent, northwest London, England. The building is T-shaped, with a long façade on Forty Lane. The building was the seat of Brent London Borough Council until 2013 and is now occupied by the Lycée International de Londres Winston Churchill. It is a Grade II listed building.
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Brent London Borough Council is the local authority for the London Borough of Brent in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in the United Kingdom capital of London. It is based at Brent Civic Centre in Engineers Way, Wembley.
The Library at Willesden Green is a public library complex situated in Willesden Green, London, United Kingdom. The centre includes a public library which spans over 3 floors, and includes a library for children. It includes 40,000 books, and offers computer and study spaces. The library is operated by Brent Council and houses governmental archives on Brent. Since 2006, the Brent Museum has been located in the building and since the 2015 redevelopment, a performing arts space, as well as an art exhibition gallery, was added to the building.
Kensington Town Hall is a municipal building in Hornton Street, Kensington, London. It is the headquarters of Kensington and Chelsea London Borough Council.
The new Town Hall is a former technical college in Library Street, Wigan, England which was converted into a municipal facility in 1990. It is a Grade II listed building.
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