The William Smith Building (WSB) is the newest addition to the British Geological Survey (BGS) headquarters in Nottingham. At 3000m², the WSB is the largest wooden-framed open-plan office building in the UK .
The WSB was built to the highest environmental standards, within the two-year timescale and just under the £7m budget. It incorporates cedar and terracotta cladding, sheep’s wool insulation, under-floor heating and an atrium covered with the same plastic panels used in the Eden Project domes, Cornwall, UK.
The construction project started in December 2007, staff occupied the building in May 2009 and it was opened by Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal on 25 June 2009. Princess Anne first visited the site on 23 June 1970 when she officially opened Mary Ward College (a teacher training college) which occupied the site before it was taken over by the BGS in 1976.
George Bowick, the previous BGS site manager, said: “The William Smith Building is built to meet the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method BREEAM) ‘Excellent’ rating. This will be the first large-scale open plan office in the UK to use a timber frame along with a Termodeck under-floor heating system.
The WSB incorporates the following ‘green’ features:
In 1801, William Smith drew a rough sketch of what would become "The Map that Changed the World" and was credited with creating the first geological map of England and Wales with part of Scotland, which was published in 1815 – see William Smith's 1815 Map.
View pictures and descriptions of the different rocks on display in the atrium at the William Smith Building gallery of rock types
Contact Gaynor Delaney