Steelwork providing economic boost in Darlington

Providing accommodation for more than 1,600 civil servants, a five-storey office development in Darlington will on completion provide a regional economic boost and act as a catalyst for further regeneration.

Located in the town centre and providing a permanent home for the Darlington Economic Campus, the steel-framed building will bring together teams from six government departments, including HM Treasury.

Working on behalf of main contractor Kier, Elland Steel Structures is fabricating, supplying and erecting 800t of steelwork for the project.

Simon Hulme, Director of Capital Projects at the Government Property Agency (GPA), said: “This development is a hugely significant programme for the GPA as we continue our ambition to provide great places to work for the Civil Service.

“Once complete, this building will be a modern, sustainable and digitally-enabled office space.”

Fulfilling the client’s wish for a design with the least amount of embodied carbon, a steel frame supporting metal-decked flooring was chosen as the framing solution for the project.

With a centrally-positioned core, the surrounding steel frame is based around a 7.5m x 9m grid, which is said to create an optimum and efficient set of floorplates with minimal internal columns.

The project is due to complete in early 2028.