SWINDON's Cellular Operations building has won a prestigious international design award.

The space age call centre, affectionately dubbed The Glass Cigar, scooped the Best Large Office award at this year's FX Magazine International Interior Design Awards.

The building, which was designed by architect Richard Hywel Evans, is situated opposite Peatmoor Lagoon in Hill-mead, West Swindon.

Cellular Operations won the award in the face of stiff competition from huge multi-million pound corporations like Erics-son, Boots and Egg.

A panel of judges described the building as: "A tour de force both aesthetically and technically'' .

They praised the building's ''space-age envelope which communicates the forward-looking company philosophy, while ensuring humane workspaces for the staff." Mr Hywel Evans boasted that his design had created the happiest workplace in Britain for its 650 employees.

He said: "My brief had a number of requirements, not least to keep the staff in a high turnover area and create an iconic building to put a small company on the map."

He said staff turnover has decreased since the building was built from above the five per cent national average to 2.7 per cent.

The Cellular Operations building, which opened last year, cost £6m and took 15 months to build.

It features a curved frameless glass superstructure, which is nine metres high and is held by cantilevered steel.

Its many features include a huge movable wall of glass, which serves as the main entrance into the building, lifts operated by motion sensors, a water fountain which shoots up to greet people coming out of the lifts, together with a range of themed loos.