Japanese shoji screens and Bedford’s history of lace-making seem an unlikely combination. But they both provided inspiration for the new purpose-built headquarters of Fujifilm UK in Bedford.
Fujifilm House at 22 Cardington Road won a CoStar Impact Award for best commercial development of the year in the East of England.
From rooftop solar panels and rainwater collection systems to bio-diverse landscaping, Fujifilm House holds the firm’s green policies and community values at its heart. The BREEAM Excellent building seeks to nurture the ground on which it stands, with bee hotels and bat boxes residing in biodiverse landscaping and sustainable urban drainage. The development aims to build on the partnership the company has with the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire.
Fujifilm took a 10-year lease on the 30,000-square foot building in Bedford, which will house 300 UK staff.
About the project: A purpose-built headquarters for Fujifilm.
What the judges said: “The design focuses on wellbeing for the staff and environment.”
They made it happen:
Colin Beasley, construction director, Graftongate;James Martyn-Smith, construction director, Graftongate; Philip Silk, director, Graftongate; Chris Jones, director/architect, CBR Infinity; Paul Skipp, managing director, Monterey PR; Tsutomu Watanabe, managing director, Fujifilm UK; Duncan Edgar, head of human resources, Fujifilm UK; Rhiannon Berriman, corporate communications executive, Fujifilm UK; Andy Ross, corporate communications executive, Fujifilm UK.
