Bardsley Construction Yorkshire is to begin work on a £6.4m archive building in Wakefield.

The West Yorkshire Archive Building is to be built in Kirkgate and it will store over 10 million records over three floors.

The project is being jointly funded by the five West Yorkshire Councils, West Yorkshire Joint Services and Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) which has awarded a £3.9m grant to create a new permanent home for the region's archives.

Fiona Spiers, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund of Yorkshire and the Humber, said: "We're delighted to see this project get under way. The new West Yorkshire Archive Building is a vital resource designed to house the regions' archives to make them properly accessible for the first time. Soon, a treasure trove of history will be at the public's fingertips."

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The extensive archive includes the collections of the old West Yorkshire and West Riding Councils, and the current Wakefield district council.

The buildings design features a perforated metal mesh wrap, which will be back-lit in the evening to provide a dramatic changing façade. The archive storage areas on the upper floors are carefully controlled using equipment to ensure all the unique items remain in excellent condition for this and future generations.

A local history centre is also incorporated into the ground floor, which will offer a diverse programme of events, courses and opportunities for regional, local and family history engagement.

Adrian Rooney, regional director, Bardsley Construction Yorkshire, said: "This prestigious building will provide an iconic new home for the West Yorkshire Joint Services Archive and be a welcoming place for people to connect with and research fascinating local and family history contained in more than 10 million records."

The new building has been designed by architects Broadway Malyan.

(CD/JP)