SCALA Civic Building of the Year Competition, 2008

Highly Commended

Wiltshire County Council & Swindon Borough Council
Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre

The need for a new home for Wiltshire County Council’s and Swindon Borough Council’s historic archives resulted from an assessment of the original facility by National Archive inspectors. They identified major failings in the fire and flood protection, concluding that the records were at risk.

The two Councils worked in partnership to offer an innovative integrated facility with all of the heritage services, archives, local studies library, archaeology and historic building records under one roof.

The new £11.6 million Centre preserves documentary, object and archaeological evidence of the County’s past and carries important custodial, educational and promotional roles. It provides a service to more than 25,000 people per year, either through direct personal research or through its postal and internet enquiry service.

The new building is licensed by the National Archive to house the two Council’s significant collection of ancient documents in purpose-designed environmentally controlled strong rooms. This required strict compliance with the stringent British Standard 5454 on archive storage.

Executive Architect:

Kendall Kingscott

Design Architect:

Atkins

Quantity Surveyor:

Gardiner & Theobald

Structural Engineer:

Arup Structures

Mechanical and Electrical Engineer:

Lorne Stewart

Main Contractor:

Cowlin Construction

Project Manager:

Wiltshire County Council