MOD Abbey Wood Anniversary - 20 years, 20 facts
Today marks 20 years of MOD Abbey Wood which was officially opened in 1996 by her Majesty the Queen.
To celebrate this milestone, here are 20 facts about the site you may not be aware of:
1 — And the award goes to…
MOD Abbey Wood won Green Building of the Year in 1997, Best Out of Town Building (British Council for Awards), Best New Office Building (MIPIM), and was second in the RICS Efficient Building Awards.
2 — Office space was different in 1995…
In 1995 the Defence Procurement Agency (DPA), a forerunner to DE&S, had 15 sites (9 in London, 3 in Portland, 2 in Bath and 1 in Portsmouth). Anybody Grade C1 or above had their own office!
3 — ABW coming up trumps!…
A total of 69 sites were considered as sites for HQ and although Abbey Wood was eventually chosen it was quite a close run thing with Solihull, Sunderland, Keynsham and South Wales.
4 — Seeing the wood through the trees…
The decision to name buildings at Abbey Wood after trees was taken by Air Marshal Sir Roger Austin — the then Deputy Chief of Defence Procurement.
5 — Letting nature take its course…
A decision was taken not to stock the lake with fish because ecologists advised the fish would just appear because fish eggs get carried on the feet of ducks and swans. They were right!
6 — It’s all in the design…
The very first plan for Abbey Wood featured square buildings with courtyards, but a final decision was taken for ‘croissant’ shaped structures so the amount of stairways and lifts could be reduced and landscaping vehicles had easy access.
7 — Pulling the plug…
A swimming pool was planned on land next to the nursery but was scrapped after the local council declined an offer to share it.
8 — In honour of…
McIntosh Building, formerly the Abbey Wood library was named after Doctor Malcom McIntosh, who was Chief of Defence Procurement when Abbey Wood was built.
9 — Woodpeckers opens its doors
Lady Austin, wife of Acting Chief of Defence Procurement Air Marshal Sir Roger Austin officially opened ‘Woodpeckers’ nursery in 1996.
10 — Sometimes the grass can be greener!…
Abbey Wood site was officially opened on 19th August 1996 by Her Majesty The Queen. In order for everything to be perfect even the grass was spray painted green!
11 — How technology has developed…
There were 386 computers that all needed IT configuration and the hard disks building — which back then were removable!
12 — Famous faces help encourage staff to move…
A video was created to encourage staff to come to Abbey Wood and ensure them that there would be smooth transition — Alistair Stewart even featured on the video!
13 — What lies beneath?
There is a coal mine under the north east car park.
14 — The bridge that came through stormy waters
The bridge from the NE car par across to NH1 came from Italy, the first bridge however was lost in a storm crossing the Bay of Biscay!
15 — Abbey Wood takes inspiration from around the globe
In 1996 the CFB was a temporary building made of mahogany and was known locally as the Pagoda because of its ‘Chinese’ styling.
16 — History on our doorstep
Stanley Farm now used as a training facility used to be a working farm, the building is now listed and the weeping willow outside has a tree preservation order on it.
17 — Value for money
The Abbey Wood site cost 254 million pounds to build — not a lot considering Wembly cost 798 million!
18 — Size matters
The size of Abbey Wood is 40 hectares which is the equivalent to roughly 98 football pitches or 1568 tennis courts
19 — Breaking ground
Building commenced in September 1993 and completed in 1997. The ground was first broken by a member of John Laing Construction and the work began!
20 — A Royal Affair
When Queen Elizabeth II opened Abbey Wood on 19th July 97, at lunch VIPs dined on fillet of Cornish lamb and tropical fruit sorbet!
For a more in-depth view of what was involved in the planning, design, build as well as a bit more info on the history of the site, read this month’s issue of Desider magazine, available online here: http://tinyurl.com/zmyrtd5
