2 Bristol Avenue is a municipal building in Bristol Avenue, Colindale, London. It is the administrative headquarters of Barnet London Borough Council.
| 2 Bristol Avenue | |
|---|---|
 The building in 2024 | |
| Location | Bristol Avenue, Colindale |
| Coordinates | 51°35′51″N 0°14′42″W / 51.5976°N 0.2450°W |
| Built | 2019 |
| Architect | Hawkins\Brown |
| Architectural style(s) | Modern style |
  Shown in Greater London | |
History
editThe building was commissioned to replace Barnet House in Whetstone as the administrative headquarters of Barnet London Borough Council.[1][2] Civic leaders had deemed the building in Whetstone as uneconomic to operate as they sought to save circa £1 million a year in accommodation costs.[3] The site that they selected for the new building had previously been part of Hendon Aerodrome, until it was closed in 1968, and was designated by the council as a regeneration area.[4]
Construction work on the new nine-storey building commenced in December 2016.[5] It was designed by Hawkins\Brown in the modern style, built by Galliford Try in concrete, brick and glass at a cost of £36 million and was completed in September 2019.[6][7][8]
The design involved an asymmetrical main frontage of sixteen bays facing onto Bristol Avenue. The scheme used post-tensioned concrete slabs, which were externally visible, on each of the floors. The bays were fenestrated with tall plate glass windows and flanked by full height brick pilasters.[9] Internally, the principal spaces were the offices for 1,400 council staff, a recreation terrace on the 4th floor where staff could congregate, and a landscaped roof terrace.[10][11]
A new public area, to be known as Patterson Square, was established in front of the building on the corner of Bristol Avenue and Grahame Park Way. The public area, which involved provision of public seating, landscaping and a flagpole, was named after Gabrielle Patterson, who was the UK's first woman flying instructor.[12][13] The choice of name was also intended to recall the connection with Hendon Aerodrome. Patterson instructed trainees on various aircraft included the de Havilland Mosquito and the Vickers Wellington during the Second World War.[14][15][16]
References
edit- ^ "London Borough of Barnet". London Councils. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
- ^ "Union protesters angry as Barnet Council votes in favour of moving offices to Colindale in £50 million regeneration project". Hendon and Finchley Times. 27 July 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
- ^ "Financial Performance and Contracts Committee" (PDF). Barnet Council. 11 March 2019. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
- ^ "Ordnance Survey Map". 1950. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
- ^ Peck, Natalie (7 December 2016). "Building work commences on Colindale offices". Barnet Council. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
- ^ "Council moves to Colindale" (PDF). Barnet First. 1 July 2019. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
- ^ "Colindale Offices". Taylor Maxwell. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
- ^ "Colindale Council Offices". Middlesex Limited. 7 November 2019. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
- ^ "Colindale Office". Price Myers. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
- ^ "London Borough of Barnet Headquarters Building – Colindale Offices". Venture Management Consulting. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
- ^ "Colindale Offices". Film Fixer. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
- ^ "Gabrielle Patterson - Ladies of the ATA". Kenley Revival. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
- ^ deBois, Enid (23 September 2004). "Patterson [née Burr], Gabrielle Ruth Millicent (1905–1968), aviator". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/67686. Retrieved 12 April 2024. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ "Local people of Colindale invited to rename new Square". Barnet Council. 6 October 2021. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
- ^ "Take part in our poll to name the square outside Barnet Council's Colindale office". Barnet Council. 13 December 2021. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
- ^ "Colindale residents in Barnet invited to rename new Square". Capital West London. 6 October 2021. Retrieved 12 April 2024.