A Birmingham city centre office project which was opened last year by a US flooring company has won a regional property award.
The Greenhouse was created by Interface on the tenth floor of The Colmore Building to act as its new UK headquarters.
It was named the best project up to 1,500 sq metres at the 12th annual British Council for Offices Midlands and Central England Awards which recognise excellence in the office sector.
Interface, which is based in Atlanta and trades on NASDAQ, specialises in the design and manufacture of carbon neutral carpet tile and resilient flooring including luxury vinyl tile and rubber flooring.
It announced last year that it had moved its UK head office from Halifax to Birmingham after carrying out a £1 million investment in the 8,180 sq ft base.
The flexible office space has sustainability as a key focus, with a mixture of natural finishes and design which is aimed at connecting occupiers to the natural environment.
The company also has no parking spaces on site and encourages its employees to come to work by either walking, cycling or using public transport.
Judges said they were impressed by the diversity of the space, including its welcoming entrance hub which provided a central meeting space.
Rob van Zyl, building services partner at engineering consultancy Cundall and chairman of the panel, said: "This year's entrants demonstrate that agile working has come of age and Interface is no exception.
"What was initially a move towards cramming more people into less space through hotdesking has evolved into something that is clearly more focused on the health and wellness of occupiers.
"It is also encouraging to see accelerating trends towards sustainability, efficiencies in energy consumption and the use of natural shapes, materials and plants.
"All across Britain, the office sector now possesses more knowledge on how to create a healthy and productive office than ever before and is making informed design decisions to an outstanding effect."
There were two other West Midlands winners at the ceremony with the Lord Bhattacharyya Building, at the University of Warwick, picking up the innovation award and KMB Tachbrook Park, in Leamington Spa, being named best recycled/refurbished workplace.
The other winners were 50/60 Station Road in Cambridge (commercial workplace) WD-40's 252 The Square in Milton Keynes (fit out of workplace) and British Sugar's HQ in Peterborough (corporate workplace).
Winners from the Midlands and Central England will compete with those from other regions at the BCO Virtual National Awards on January 26.
