Ref. 31007-1THE new face of Swindon is emerging as three landmark buildings start to take shape in the town. BHAVANI VADDE and KEVIN SHOESMITH take a look at how the major projects are progressing.
THIS is how the new headquarters of the National Trust is shaping up.
And the building is set to be one of the most environmentally friendly workplaces in the country thanks to a £300,000 Government grant.
The money will be used to install state of the art solar panels, which will generate almost half the electricity needed to run the premises.
Other green features have been incorporated into the design including roof windows to maximise daylight, high levels of insulation and natural ventilation so there will be no need for air conditioning.
Sue Holden, the trust's business administration director, said: "The building has been designed to have the same effect as a cathedral.
"It remains cool on the inside even when it is hot outside and warm in the winter.
"The building needs to be heavy to create this effect so the floors and roof are made of concrete." She said that the headquarters should be completed by next spring.
"The construction work is moving quite quickly. It is exciting for us to watch," she said. "We have a web cam positioned on the site and staff can watch it live."
The £10.5m building will be near the Steam museum, English Heritage and the National Monument's Record, making the area a centre for the nation's history.
The building is at the forefront of an exciting new phase in the regeneration of Swindon town centre using land which has been derelict for 20 years.
It will house the trust's 470 employees, who will eventually move out of its offices in Lon-don, Cirencester, Melksham and Kembrey Park, Swindon.
Development company Kier Properties will fund the construction of the new headquarters and then lease the building back to the National Trust for 35 years.
The construction will be made of traditional blue brick, used in many railway developments, and is only two floors, so that it blends in with neighbouring buildings.
The south side, which will face a new public square, will be glazed and will contain a National Trust caf and a shop.
The trust looks after historic buildings and landscapes including Avebury, Stourhead and Dyrham Park.
Bhavani Vadde
Kevin Shoesmith
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