Brent Civic Centre
{{Short description|Municipal building in London, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox building
| name = Brent Civic Centre
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| image = Brent Civic Centre and Wembley Library (13830389734).jpg
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| caption = Brent Civic Centre and Wembley Library in 2014
| map_type = United Kingdom London Brent
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| map_dot_label = Brent Civic Centre
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| building_type = Municipal headquarters
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| owner = Brent London Borough Council
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| location = Engineers Way, Wembley Park
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| location_town = London
| location_country = United Kingdom
| coordinates = {{coord|51.5590|-0.2815|type:landmark_region:GB|display=inline,title}}
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| opened_date = 2013
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| architect = Hopkins Architects
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| main_contractor = Skanska
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Brent Civic Centre is the headquarters of Brent London Borough Council, situated on Engineers Way in the Wembley Park area of the London Borough of Brent. It was opened in 2013, replacing the former headquarters at Brent Town Hall located a mile north on Forty Lane.
History
The building was commissioned to replace the aging Brent Town Hall.{{NHLE|desc=Brent Town Hall|num=1262141|accessdate=5 April 2020}} The site selected for the new building had previously been occupied by the former Palace of Industry which had been built for the British Empire Exhibition in 1924.{{cite web|url=http://www.branchcollective.org/?ps_articles=anne-clendinning-on-the-british-empire-exhibition-1924-25|first=Anne |last=Clendinning|title=On The British Empire Exhibition, 1924-25|publisher=Branch Collective|access-date=29 August 2020}}
The construction work started on site in November 2010.{{cite web|url=https://premierconstructionnews.com/2012/09/19/brent-civic-centre-will-open-in-2013/|title=Brent Civic Centre will open in 2013|publisher=Premier Construction News|date=19 September 2012|access-date=5 April 2020}} The new building, which was designed by Hopkins Architects{{cite web|url=https://www.ajbuildingslibrary.co.uk/projects/display/id/7210|title=Brent Civic Centre|publisher=Architects' Journal|access-date=5 April 2020}} and built by Skanska at a cost of £75 million,{{cite web|url=https://www.constructionnews.co.uk/uncategorised/go-ahead-for-75m-brent-civic-centre-18-03-2010/|title=Go-ahead for £75m Brent Civic Centre|date=18 March 2010|publisher=Construction News|access-date=15 November 2020}} was officially opened to the public on 6 October 2013.{{cite web|url=https://www.itv.com/news/london/update/2013-10-06/brents-new-civic-centre-officially-opens-to-the-public/|title=Brent's new civic centre opens|publisher=ITV|date=6 October 2013|access-date=15 November 2020}}
Key aspects of the internal design for the nine-storey glass structure included a large atrium and a feature looking like a circular drum. The atrium, which at {{convert|30| metre}} high, was also intended to double as an events venue, featured a wide staircase which was fitted with seating in the central section so allowing it to function as a grandstand.{{cite web|url=https://www.hopkins.co.uk/news/current/177/|title=Brent Civic Centre Officially Opens|date=6 October 2013|publisher=Hopkins Architects|access-date=15 November 2020}} The circular drum, which was clad in timber, was partitioned inside to create a council chamber, community hall and library.{{cite web|url=http://www.hopkins.co.uk/projects/5/145/|title=Brent Civic Centre|website=Hopkins Architects|access-date=29 August 2020}} The design also allowed the building to act as a community hub, with two cafés, entertainment spaces, meeting rooms and a wedding garden.{{cite web|url=https://theweddingdirectory.co.uk/wedding-venues/middlesex/wembley/the-brent-civic-centre/|title=Brent Civic Centre|publisher=The Wedding Directory|access-date=5 April 2020}} When it opened, the civic centre was described by a journalist at the Guardian as "like ...the parliament of a small nation state".{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2013/jun/03/brent-council-civic-centre-opens|title=Brent council's new £90m civic centre seen as machine for making money|last=Wainwright|first=Oliver|date=2013-06-03|newspaper=The Guardian|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077|access-date=29 August 2020}}
The scheme allowed some 2,000 council staff carrying out civic and administrative functions, who had previously been based at various locations around the borough, to be co-located in one place. The intention was to provide most of the Council's services in the new building, which is roughly in the centre of the borough, other than its archives department which was to remain at The Library at Willesden Green.{{Cite web|url=https://www.kilburntimes.co.uk/news/heritage/willesden-green-library-celebrates-125th-anniversary-1-6165573|title=Celebration as Willesden Green Library marks its 125th anniversary|first=Nathalie|last=Raffray|website=Kilburn Times|access-date=15 November 2020}} Brent Civic Centre was awarded a BREEAM 'Outstanding' rating. The design reduced carbon emissions by a third thanks to solar shading, natural ventilation and a combined cooling, heating and power using waste fish oil.{{Cite book|title=Brent Civic Centre guide for non-movers|publisher=London Borough of Brent|year=2013}}
In May 2015 the building had to be evacuated when an unexploded {{convert|50|kg}} Luftwaffe bomb dating from the Second World War was uncovered by construction workers operating in Empire Way.{{cite web|author=Kashmira Gander|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/world-war-ii-bomb-discovered-by-builders-in-wembley-10267910.html |title=Wembley bomb: Unexploded World War II device discovered by builders near national Stadium |work=The Independent |date=21 May 2015 |access-date=17 May 2020}}
References
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