West lothian Civic Centre

BDP, working with architectural aluminium suppliers Kawneer, have completed a new civic centre for West Lothian.

The building serves as headquarters for West Lothian Council and Lothian and Borders police together with six courtrooms used by the Scottish Courts Service.

They reside alongside a range of public agencies including the Procurator Fiscal, Scottish Children’s Reporter Service and Lothian and Borders Fire Service.

Divided into three areas the braced steel frame structure accommodates a linear office block, police and courts area and custody suite.

External expressions of internal functions include a circular council chamber, a large glazed volume of civic space and linear office “bars”.

Large glazed rooftop lanterns form chimneys for natural stack ventilation and lighting of a linear atrium below whilst imparting distance identity to the largely low rise centre.