Lillyhall, Workington, Cumbria

Energus marks an important step in the development of a world-class base in nuclear decommissioning and related businesses in West Cumbria. Architects Plus were implementation architects for this £12m contract, which sought to develop a dedicated centre of education excellence and innovation for the nuclear industry within West Cumbria.

Energus has three principal activities; to provide a wide range of education and training facilities geared to train the local workforce to make the most of the employment opportunities within the nuclear industry; to encourage enterprise and provide business support within the west Cumbria area, and to host regional, national and international conferences.

The building was designed and built to integrate sustainable materials and technologies wherever possible. The stone cladding to the feature lecture theatre was locally sourced and a 700m² photovoltaic array on the roof of the main block now produces a peak output of 44kW; and per annum, this generates 30MW hours of electricity.

Since completion of the original contract, Architects Plus have acted directly for Energus and the University of Cumbria, who operate from within the building where a number of modifications have been made for new ventures.