A top building firm, Graham, has won a prestigious British Council for Offices (BCO) award for its new HQ office in Hillsborough, Co Down.

The award was made at a packed awards ceremony in Manchester with over 250 leading architects and designers from the North of England, Northern Wales and Northern Ireland rubbing shoulders with occupiers and other property professionals.

The judges commended the winners in what proved to be a fierce competition, with a very high standard of entries from across the north of England, North Wales and Northern Ireland region.

In referring specifically to the award for the Graham headquarters the judging panel remarked that "The Graham New HQ Building was awarded best Corporate Workplace for its design incorporating a commitment to sustainable construction, making the building recognised by many as one of Northern Ireland's greenest workplaces.

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"In addition to its environmentally friendly design, the building offers employees a stylish and flexible open plan office design, with refreshment facilities positioned to encourage interaction among employees."

All eyes are now on October when the winners from the Regional Awards go on to compete at a national level, and bid to win the 'Best of the Best' Award.

Tony Hordon, Director of Business Space, DTZ, and BCO Judging Chair for the North of England, North Wales and Northern Ireland, said: "The focus of the BCO Awards is to judge buildings from a multi-disciplinary point of view, focusing on aspects such as architectural flair, economic and sustainable construction with fitness for purpose for users of the space.

"We had a very high standard of entries this year that have really delivered fantastic workspaces for the end user and I'd like to congratulate our winners."

(GK/BMcC)