Thurrock Civic Offices

A proposal for a new Civic Centre for Thurrock Council on Grays High Street, the first phase of the wider Grays south regeneration project.

The new 3-storey building will incorporate a service area for members of the public, Council Chamber, cafe, Registrar service, staff offices, committee rooms and democratic services. The building is arranged in two halves split by a central spine of circulation, with one half comprising committee rooms and party offices, and the other comprising the council chamber and public hub. The two halves are ‘carved’ to provide entrances, views in and out, and to enliven the elevation to the surrounding streets.

The form of the building responds to the context of the site and to the nature of the spaces that it contains. Sufficient mass will be provided to ensure an impressive statement that is not subservient to the existing building. The façades will reference a portico to give height, verticality and civic presence. The project will include the internal separation of the existing council buildings, plus the internal reorganisation of an existing ground floor. Limited modification of the upper floors of an existing building will be undertaken to connect the existing and proposed building.