One of Wigan’s most iconic town centre buildings is set for a new lease of life.

We’ve been appointed civil and structural engineers to the project, which will restore and re-purpose the modernist concrete civic centre constructed in 1970.

The brutalist building was originally opened to provide council offices but was closed in 2018 following the refurbishment of the town hall.

By delivering standout offices at the heart of the community, the project aims to stimulate economic growth and provide lasting social impact in Wigan. Plans for the space are geared toward delivering incubator spaces for start-ups, co-working and small businesses, alongside coffee shops and amenities.

Retrofitting the centre, which will be known as ‘Civic’, is expected to save over 2,600 tonnes of CO2 when compared to a new building of the same size – the equivalent of taking more than 1,200 cars off the road.

Our director James Bruce said: “It’s important that we reuse what we already have rather than building new wherever we can, to help us achieve net zero carbon.

“Retrofitting the iconic building will restore it as a sustainable, community-focussed centre for economic growth in the town, while preserving its heritage character. The new centre will be aptly dubbed ‘Civic’, nodding to the positive impact it will have in terms of place and people. A brilliant step forwards for Wigan with a great team behind it.”

Social impact developer Capital&Centric, in partnership with Wigan City Council and supported by UKSPF, are bringing the project forwards and we’re proud to work alongside the design team including Crookes Walker Consulting, Shedkm and Planit.

The team are aiming for the workspace to achieve an EPC A energy efficiency rating and be BREEAM ‘excellent’ – viewed as the gold standard for best practice in sustainable design.

Enabling works are now complete and construction is set to begin imminently. Image credit: Capital&Centric.