Start on National Trust HQ in Swindon

Building work has started on the innovative new central office for the National Trust.

Contractors are now preparing the ground to lay the foundations at the site which is situated in the Great Western Railway Conservation Area at Churchward, next to the Great Western Designer Outlet Centre, and close to STEAM, the Museum of the Great Western Railway.

The building will house 470 of the Trust's employees. There will be a café and shop situated at the south side of the building which will over look a new public square.

The office has been designed by architects Feilden Clegg Bradley in the style of the former railway works which once stood on the site, and will use twenty per cent less energy than a standard office building. This will be achieved by using natural ventilation, maximising daylight within the building and incorporating solar panels into the roof design.

The National Trust cited many reasons for relocating to Swindon including the extensive transport links, Swindon's labour market, excellent facilities and beautiful surrounding countryside.

Development company Kier Properties will fund the project and then lease the building to the National Trust for 35 years. Completion is programmed for June 2005.

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/nationaltrust/central_office.html