WWF UK's stunning 'levitating' headquarters: in pictures

(Hopkins Architects)

A building based on the concept of a flying green carpet, creating the impression of its offices levitating above the ground, has won an award more most innovative office.

The UK headquarters of the World Wildlife Fund spans over 3,600 m2 and is considered to be the forefront of sustainable design and construction. Designed by Hopkins Architects, the company behind the London 2012 velodrome at the Olympic Park, the Living Planet Centre – as the headquarters are known – has won the British Council for Offices (BCO) award for “Best Innovation” on Tuesday.

Aligning to the WWF’s green ethos, the building has impressive sustainability credentials - it has achieved a BREEAM status of ‘outstanding’ – the world’s foremost environmental assessment method and rating system for buildings - due to a wide range of environmentally friendly features.

With an extensive use of solar energy, the building also harvests rainwater, while the building itself was made from recycled materials such as concrete and timber from responsibly managed forests.

With some 300 WWF staff now based at the Woking HQ, the building also features an innovative “WWF Experience” and Learning Zone where visitors and schoolchildren can discover more about WWF’s global conservation work.

“It’s a fantastic eco-building that shows not only how it’s possible to use our planet’s resources wisely, but also helps us all connect with the natural world and brings WWF’s vital work around the globe to life for us, right here and now,” said Sir David Attenborough, one of WWF ambassador at its opening in November 2013.

Keynsham Civic Centre & One Stop Shop in Keynsham, near Bath, was named as the Best of the Best workplace in the country at the British Council for Offices’ (BCO) annual National Awards in London last night.

Keynsham Civic Centre & One Stop Shop in Keynsham, near Bath, was named as the Best of the Best workplace in the country at the British Council for Offices’ (BCO) annual National Awards in London last night (British Council for Offices / Blue Rubicon)