MoD_Abbey_Wood

MOD Abbey Wood

MOD Abbey Wood

Office complex and conference centre in Bristol, United Kingdom

MOD Abbey Wood is a Ministry of Defence establishment at Filton, Bristol, United Kingdom. The purpose-built site houses the MOD's Defence Equipment and Support and Submarine Delivery Agency procurement organisations. It was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in July 1996, after which various government departments relocated to the site.

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Approach to the visitor entrance

History

A total of 69 sites were originally considered for the headquarters of the MOD's procurement organisation, with Solihull, Sunderland, Keynsham and South Wales being amongst the other options. Work commenced in September 1993 to build MOD Abbey Wood's offices, restaurants, library, sports facilities, training rooms, auditoria and conference rooms, support facilities and nursery.[3] The site was designed with a feel of connecting "neighbourhoods" and is surrounded by an artificial lake for security.[4][5]

Abbey Wood was formally opened by Queen Elizabeth II in July 1996. The campus cost £254 million[6][5] to build, and has been described as "the most progressive public sector office complex built in Britain for a generation".[4] The site won the 1997 RICS Energy Efficiency award for the ecological design of the building,[7] however, its environmental friendliness was later questioned, as many employees travelled to the site by car[8] even though it is adjacent to the Filton Abbey Wood railway station.

The entire site is 40 hectares (99 acres) - the equivalent of 50 football pitches - and has a perimeter of 3 km (1.9 mi).[9]

After Abbey Wood opened, the MOD Procurement Executive departments from across the UK, mainly London and Bath, relocated to the new facility. Subsequently, further consolidation to the site has occurred.[10] The relocation of departments, bringing together 15 offices and 4,400 staff, was the largest ever attempted by a British government department.[4] The site manages procurement contracts for the Royal Navy, the British Army and the Royal Air Force. Abbey Wood is the largest MOD site in the UK; about 5,500 people worked at the site when it opened, rising to 8,500 prior to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.[11][12]

References

  1. [1]
    "Submarine Delivery Agency (SDA)".
  2. [2]
    "Crocodile and missile myths at the 'UK Pentagon'". 19 July 2021.
  3. [3]
    Contractor brief for initial building project
  4. [4]
    Turner, Gavin; Myerson, Jeremy (1998). "Redesigning the environment". Changing spaces: making the working environment work (illustrated ed.). Brookfield, VT: Gower. p. 94. ISBN 9780566080289.
  5. [5]
    Pearson, Colin (19 July 2021). "MOD Abbey Wood celebrates 25 years". Defence Equipment & Support. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  6. [6]
    "MoD on target at Abbey Wood". Construction News. 18 January 1996. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  7. [7]
    Keeping, Miles; Shiers, David (2009). "Green property: the design of buildings that have lower environmental impact". Sustainable Property Development: A Guide to Real Estate and the Environment. John Wiley & Sons. p. 116. ISBN 9781405178303.
  8. [8]
    Macmillan, Sebastian (2004). Designing Better Buildings: Quality and Value in the Built Environment. Taylor & Francis. p. 80. ISBN 9780415315258.
  9. [9]
    "Abbey Wood 20th Anniversary" (PDF). Desider (97). July 2016.
  10. [10]
    "MoD to move 1,400 workers from Bath". BBC News. 11 March 2011. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
  11. [11]
    Dave Harvey (12 May 2011). "Straight talking from the top, at MOD Abbey Wood". BBC News. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
  12. [12]
    "Behind the scene at Abbey Wood". Bristol Post. 1 November 2008. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
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