Bicester's Perch Eco Business Centre named one of the UK’s most outstanding workspaces

Bicester's Perch Eco Business Centre has been named one of the UK’s most outstanding workspaces at the British Council for Offices Awards.

The business centre won the national award for projects under 1,500m², a prize which honours exemplary smaller-sized workspaces.

Perch is operated by co-working and small business specialist Town Square Spaces Ltd, on behalf of Cherwell District Council.

Members can access business support and events alongside networking opportunities, meeting rooms and social spaces that the space offers.

The building is a pioneering sustainable building that is a real-world example of a workspace that performs to the highest energy and comfort standards, whilst delivered on a sustainable budget.

It has BREEAM Outstanding status and being the first Passivhaus Plus office in the UK.

Lucy Wendon (pictured), community manager at Perch, said that the award was the result of collaboration and strong partnerships between those involved in developing the hub: “The Eco Business Centre wouldn’t be what it is without its state of the art sustainable design by Architype, the investment and commitment of Cherwell District Council, or the fantastic community of coworkers that we’ve grown here – we’ve all had our part to play in creating a truly unique and inspiring workspace, and it’s an honour to be recognised for what we’ve achieved.

“The building in itself is beautiful, but what brings it to life is the buzz of the space being used to its fullest potential. Whether it’s to meet with colleagues, to attend workshops, to be part of community initiatives or just to get some work done – it’s the people who come here and be part of our community in some way or another which makes this a wonderful place to be.”

Lee Fordham, Associate Director of Architype, which designed the building, said: “The British Council for Offices Awards are very prestigious and follow an intensive judging process, including a site visit.

"We were delighted that the judges recognised both the importance of the centre in pioneering zero carbon standards in the climate emergency, and the focus on creating a joyful, inspiring and healthy workspace for tenants.

“We hope the centre continues to demonstrate what is possible for other local authorities and the wider industry to achieve and would like to congratulate Cherwell District Council and TownSq Square for their commitment to exemplary ecological design.”