Northampton’s circular-design HQ named UK’s ‘Best of the Best’ at National Awards
A Northamptonshire workplace built entirely on circular-economy principles has been named Best of the Best at this year’s British Council for Offices (BCO) National Awards - the top honour in UK workplace design.
Bugbrooke based Unusual Rigging’s headquarters and research centre, conceived and delivered by architects Corstorphine & Wright, also claimed the award for Best Corporate Workplace. Judges hailed it as “a model for how modern offices can combine innovation, sustainability and long-term vision.”
Designed to be fully demountable, reusable and energy-positive, the building achieved an EPC A+ rating and was constructed using reclaimed materials wherever possible. Every component, from façade panels to structural steel, was specified to be recovered and reused at the end of its life.
Though Unusual Rigging may not be a household name, its work is instantly recognisable. From the Christmas lights that hang above Regent Street each year, to the Olympic Games, West End musicals, the challenges on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, and even Tom Cruise’s iconic Burj Khalifa stunt in Mission: Impossible, Unusual’s expertise underpins many of the world’s most technically ambitious productions.
Tom Harper, Managing Director of Unusual Rigging, said: “These awards are a testament to the work undertaken on our HQ and to the strides we’ve made in our aspiration to support the acceleration towards a circular economy. They recognise not only the building itself but the culture of innovation behind it.”
Jonny Plant, Director at Corstorphine & Wright, added: “Working in close collaboration with Tom and his team, we’ve delivered a scheme that redefines what’s possible in sustainable workplace design, from embodied-carbon reduction to user wellbeing.”
The BCO Awards, held at London’s JW Marriott Grosvenor House, brought together more than 1,200 leaders from the property, design and development sectors.
As Unusual Rigging continues to expand its UK and international operations, the company’s approach to circular design, resource efficiency and sustainable innovation is now influencing projects far beyond its own headquarters — from live-event infrastructure to technical systems worldwide.