The high street monstrosity

[Keyser_soze]

When does the building formerly known as the council offices now known as a monstrosity , over due over budget eyesore open ??

Is it going to be a brothel ?a strip club ? a new pad for the queen ? Honestly the channel tunnel was quicker built than that place

[Rheghead]

How much is it over budget and time?

[kinloch]

Bbudget?? Apparently front leaks so a shed has been built in front while experts peruse ???? About 6 month over ah well we are paying so ??

How much is it over budget and time?

[donss]

Apparently the stone sheathing was either wrongly specified, wrongly placed or wrongly fitted... I don't know which 'wrongly' is correct, but something was not right, and so the delays and (probable) extra cost... Hope this helps.

I realise this isn't the most important issue in the World right now, but every little helps. :-/

[starfish]

what happens when the wind get up with that thing on the top corner

[dandod]

what happens when the wind get up with that thing on the top corner

That's what I was wondering.its like a sail! I wouldn't want to be anywhere near it when it's stormy

[dozy]

When does the building formerly known as the council offices now known as a monstrosity , over due over budget eyesore open ?? Is it going to be a brothel ?a strip club ? a new pad for the queen ? Honestly the channel tunnel was quicker built than that place

Come on "it's a lovely building" and another triumph for Council planning and goes hand in hand with CHaP , Drummuie in Golspie and £750,000 plus on making three flats out of an old building in Thurso. God bless the Council for forward thinking and copying their styling form a East German Factory Bunker. I still agree that they should have moved into the old Caithness Glass building and instead of the £8million plus costs ,they could have saved £6million for help boost local services. Yet again " Wrong people in the wrong job".

[Shaggy]

what happens when the wind get up with that thing on the top corner

Only time will tell!

[cptdodger]

what happens when the wind get up with that thing on the top corner

Is it staying like that ? I thought they were in the process of building another floor !

[starfish]

Morgan Sindall appointed to £8 million Highland Council office build in Wick


Morgan Sindall has been appointed to build the new £8 million offices for The Highland Council, in Wick.
Work will involve the demolition of the existing listed council building in Market Place, originally constructed in the 1860s, and the delivery of 24,000 sq ft of contemporary office space.
The new building will consist of three floors to the front and two to the rear and will house the Social Care and Education Culture and Sport departments currently based elsewhere in the town. It will be clad in timber to the rear, with stone and glazing to the frontage, and will also feature a clock face.
Morgan Sindall, which has an office in Inverness, will also undertake the refurbishment and restoration of the adjoining curved Stafford Place Buildings which were built in the 1820s. The listed façade, which forms part of the High Street, will be preserved following consultations with Historic Scotland.
David Sutherland, Project Manager at The Highland Council, said: “The development has been a long time in the planning and will deliver a state of the art facility for the Council to do its business with its customers, whilst ensuring efficient use of resources both in buildings and staff. The location is central to maintaining not only the viability of the town centre but also that of neighbouring businesses that depend on Council staff for much of their trade.”
Neil Duncan, area director for Morgan Sindall, said: “This project signals the beginning of a major transformation of Wick, and we are pleased to be working with The Highland Council to deliver this significant development. Whilst the building will be modern in design, it will complement Stafford Place and provide a high standard of office accommodation to best meet 21st century working needs.
“A project of this size will have a big impact on the local economy and we always look to support the communities in which we work. We will be aiming to appoint a number of local sub-contractors and, in turn, recruit apprentices from the area during the 18 month project.”
The offices are due for completion in autumn 2014. The project aims to achieve a BREEAM rating of Excellent through the use of a range of sustainable elements including the use of an environmentally friendly biomass boiler.
ENDS
Pictured: A computer generated model of the new Highland Council office building

[cptdodger]

Dear me, it looks like a car park we have in Bell Street, Dundee !! That's an awful looking building.

Thanks for the above, starfish !

[badger]

Typical mis-management by the previous administration, can you imagine what the new Wick High School will be like (already way over budget)? I don't expect all govt/council officials to know everything but when they embark on something about which they obviously know nothing - why don't they ask someone who does know? It must be cheaper to employ a surveyor or similar to oversee these projects rather than leave them to the builders and finish up with a mess. How the design was ever approved is beyond me.

[BetterTogether]

I've never understood why councils don't build in overtime and over budget penalties into their contracts when writing them. You'd soon see a rapid improvement in the builds timescales and costs if the contractors stood to be fined for any run overs.

[kinloch]

I've never understood why councils don't build in overtime and over budget penalties into their contracts when writing them. You'd soon see a rapid improvement in the builds timescales and costs if the contractors stood to be fined for any run overs.

these council people are good at spending are money so there are no worries for them we have t o pick up bills

[fender]

When does the building formerly known as the council offices now known as a monstrosity , over due over budget eyesore open ??

Is it going to be a brothel ?a strip club ? a new pad for the queen ? Honestly the channel tunnel was quicker built than that place

Opened today. 19th October 2015