Industry experts take their lead from Number One Riverside

Architects and property companies from across the north of England descended on Number One Riverside to find out just what makes the Rochdale Council offices the best workplace in the country.

Specialists from firms including Bruntwood, Ian Simpson Architects and Sanderson Weatherall came together at the flagship customer service centre, library and office building to launch the British Council for Offices (BCO) Northern Awards 2015.

Number One Riverside was chosen as the host after it was named Best Corporate Workplace and 2014 Best of the Best at the annual BCO National Awards earlier this month.

The event gave companies hoping to enter the 2015 awards an insight into how Number One Riverside was created, with the guests being given a tour of the building.

Mark Widdup, Director of Economy and Environment at Rochdale Borough Council, told the visitors: “For us, the outcomes this building would bring, creating a better service for our customers and working better together, were always more important that the building itself. Rochdale deserves a world class building like this. It sets the benchmark.

"You can see the progress that has been made in Rochdale town centre since this building opened; the transport interchange, Metrolink, private sector investment, Number one Riverside has been a catalyst for all this.”

During the tour, representatives from Faulkner Browns Architects, who designed the building, told the audience that it had pioneered new ways of working. And the ‘no queue’ system on the ground floor also allowed for better customer services, meaning that residents feel valued.

The existence of break out spaces on the staff floors also mean that staff can meet and discuss projects more easily and work more productively.

Sophie McCombes, from Ian Simpson Architects in Manchester, said: “Number One Riverside is great. It has a lot of character. The central atrium gives it a lot of interesting views and prospectives. I like the way the building has been designed so it can be flexible and change if the council’s requirements change.”

Entries for the 2015 BCO Awards are now open; the closing deadline is Friday 28 November 2014. To enter, visit - www.bco.org.uk/Awards.