An office’s design and culture that has broken with convention has won one of the UK’s top honours.

One Strawberry Lane’s civic agenda has gained it the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Office of the Year Award at the British Council of Offices awards.

The building, in the heart of Newcastle city centre, has disrupted traditional thinking of offices as being closed off spaces to the public.

The five story space is the headquarters of housing association Home Group, who lease out two floors to organisations and charity groups which share a collaborative approach to working.

The ground floor is given over as a civic space, proactively promoted for use by its surrounding communities, businesses, as well as the public.

The ESG award recognises a project that will have a game changing influence on the environment, social value, governance or sustainable outcomes in the commercial building sector.

The national judging panel said: ‘One Strawberry Lane is an exemplar in how to deliver all elements of ESG to the highest level.

‘Home Group undertook early consultation with the Newcastle City Council for voluntary support to establish how best a new office could interact with and support the local area. And it truly succeeded.’

One Strawberry Lane’s entire ground floor provides a dedicated community and civic space, hosting many social value activities, including the increasingly popular Strawberry Soup, which invites guests to choose the best pitch by three charities, who then receive funding for a much needed project or activity.

It has also been the venue for debate on a range of topics important to the North-East, as well as the rest of the UK.

Judges added: ‘The building embodies the changing nature of future-looking ESG-led developments and the uplifting effect they can have on the wider community and users.

‘The project demonstrates how positive social impact can be pushed to new levels and that a workplace is so much more than just an office – One Strawberry Lane had already had a massive positive impact, and it is humbling to see that this will continue long into the future.’

The Social Value Portal has validated it as delivering a 44% social value return. This is up to three times higher than the national average for a similar sized building.

Home Group’s first tenant was Connected Voice, which supports over 800 community groups in the North-East. Since then, four further likeminded groups have moved into the building, allowing 1,500 voluntary sector organisations to benefit from free workspace, as well as a range of professional support.

Nathalie Baxter, Head of Workspace at Home Group, said: “We have put so much thought, time and energy into the design of the building, and collaborated with many organisations to ensure it worked for everyone.

“I’m so pleased it does, and to have the highly respected British Council of Offices praise it so much is brilliant.

“There are some great office spaces in Newcastle but too many feel closed off to our communities, whether intentional or not. We wanted to show that a corporate workspace could not only co-exist alongside, but could interact with communities, supporting each other and sharing ideas.”

For more information contact Steve Heywood on 07778145869 or steve.heywood@homegroup.org.uk