Merrion House

Shows how sustainable refurbishment should be done

Refurbished Merrion House (left) and new annexe (right) are linked by an atrium. Merrion House, Leeds, BDP, RIBA Regional Award 2019. Credit: Nick Caville

Yorkshire RIBA Regional Award 2019

BDP for TCS
Contract value: £46.3m
GIA: 21,803m² Cost per m² £2,126

BDP’s remodelling and extension of the Merrion House office block shows how sustainable refurbishment should be done. A 1974 block is expanded into a fine council HQ for both staff and public while making visual connections to the magnificent 19th century town hall. Calm and simple to navigate, the scheme has achieved a BREEAM ‘excellent’ rating and has enabled the re-use of an existing unpromising building that in many cases would have been replaced. Although it is not ostentatious about its green credentials, this project provides a role model of genuine sustainable re-use.

Regional Sustainability Award

The new spacious atrium. Merrion House, Leeds, BDP, RIBA Regional Award 2019. Credit: Nick Caville
Symbiotic relationship between the two buildings. Merrion House, Leeds, BDP, RIBA Regional Award 2019. Credit: Nick Caville
Several previous council annexes are brought together in this building. Merrion House, Leeds, BDP, RIBA Regional Award 2019. Credit: Nick Caville
Views across the city from the remodelled offices. Merrion House, Leeds, BDP, RIBA Regional Award 2019. Credit: Nick Caville