Highbridge scoops top honours at the British Council for Offices Awards.

An office at Cobalt has won the North of England, North Wales and Northern Ireland regional award in the Commercial Workplace category from the UK’s leading office industry organisation, the British Council for Offices (BCO).

Developers Highbridge Business Park Ltd won praise from the judges for creating a “delightful and productive place to work.” The awards were presented at the annual BCO awards ceremony held at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London’s Park Lane.

Competition for the award was extremely fierce but on choosing Cobalt 21 - now occupied by Newcastle Building Society - the judges paid tribute to the continuous relationship between the design team and client since the park’s inception. “It has allowed the evolution and refinement of a development which suits the nuances of the region’s office market,” they said.

They recognised that the scheme’s position as a new front door for the southern part of Cobalt meant that it had to attract attention and work in harmony with buildings on the rest of the site. “The landscape plays a major part in its success, creating an excellent setting,” judges added.

In terms of the interior, Cobalt 21 was praised for its simple crescent shape and flexible floor plates.

The floor areas are large, but clever design mechanisms have created a variety of spaces “in a subtle manner.”

Chairman of the judges Ron German commented: “The judges were looking for excellence in architecture, clarity of purpose from those commissioning the building, ingenuity of the product, clever design solutions, delivery on time and budget and that special aspect of a project that makes it a delightful and productive place to work.”

Highbridge director Guy Marsden said: “We are delighted to have won this BCO award which is a reflection of our commitment to developing high quality office space tailored to meet the needs of our occupiers. So far, more than 1.25 million sq ft of offices have been constructed at Cobalt that will grow to 2.75 million sq ft when the park is complete, making it the largest business park in the UK.”

The BCO award for Cobalt 21 brings national recognition to Cobalt and places it at the forefront of business park design. It is an indication that the building has achieved top quality design and functionality and that it has set a benchmark for excellence in workplace design.