| Summary : The Boots D90 West Headquarters building was constructed in 1966-68 to designs by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill and the chief architect Bruce Graham. It was built from a zinc-sprayed matt-black welded steel frame with deep steel lattice trusses. The building has an independent first floor reinforced concrete slab supported on columns and a flat roof. It comprises two storeys with the lower one set into fill, except at the main entrance, and lit by the internal courtyard. The upper storey only is visible, set in a man-made and gently sloping raised landscape. The building is set back behind a projecting cornice and cruciform-beam columns, four per side and making for a particularly powerful corner composition. The inner courtyard has a shallow reflecting pool edged with paving.Boots D90 was an exceptionally prestigious building, based on American out-of-town planning principles. In 1999-2000 the building underwent alterations and refurbishment. The building was listed Grade II* in 1996. |
More information : The Boots D90 West Headquarters building was constructed in 1966-68 to designs by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill and the chief architect Bruce Graham. It was built from a zinc-sprayed matt-black welded steel frame with deep steel lattice trusses. The building has an independent first floor reinforced concrete slab supported on columns and a flat roof. It comprises two storeys with the lower one set into fill, except at the main entrance, and lit by the internal courtyard. The upper storey only is visible, set in a man-made and gently sloping raised landscape. The building is set back behind a projecting cornice and cruciform-beam columns, four per side and making for a particularly powerful corner composition. The inner courtyard has a shallow reflecting pool edged with paving.
Boots D90 was an exceptionally prestigious building, based on American out-of-town planning principles. In 1999-2000 the building underwent alterations and refurbishment. (1)
These are additional sources. (2-3)
CONTEXT.
English Heritage has been asked to amend the list description of the D90 Building at the Boots Company Headquarters in Nottingham, to correct inaccuracies and to remove data mistakenly included which relates to another listed building. Since the time of listing in 1996, the building has been re-furbished and extended with listed building consent, and these changes need to be reflected in the listing documentation.
HISTORY.
The history of the building is set out in the amended list description, which records the building's construction between 1966 and 1968, and its great influence upon a new generation of architects and designers working with refined welded steel constructional techniques to create internationally renowned 'high-tech' buildings. In 1999-2000, the building was extended and comprehensively refurbished. The present list description does not take account of the internal changes to the building, and thus requires amendment. Additionally, it needs to be made clear that the extension and the link bridge added in 2000 do not form part of the listed structure.
DESCRIPTION.
The building is described in the Statutory List as ' Headquarters office building. 1966-8 by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, chief architect Bruce Graham; with Yorke Rosenberg Mardall, chief architect Brian Henderson. MATERIALS: Zinc-sprayed matt-black welded steel frame, of 13 96ft. bays with 5ft. deep steel lattice trusses. Independent first floor reinforced concrete slab supported on columns. Flat roof with no visible plant.
PLAN: Rectangular plan with internal courtyard.
EXTERIOR: Two storeys, the (narrower) lower one set into fill except at the main entrance, and lit by the internal courtyard that is an integral part of the composition.'
A new 3 storey building and a link bridge have been added which do not form part of the listing, and which are known as 'D90 East'.
The D90 building is now known as 'D90 West'.
ASSESSMENT.
The list description needs to be amended to reflect the changes made to the original building, and to make clear that the added block and link bridge do not form part of the listed building. In addition, the address entry needs to be amended to record the new name given to the building to distinguish it from the added block.
The list description should be amended to record the changes made to the building since the time of listing, and the building's address needs to be changed to read ' Boots D90 West Headquarters Building'
It is recommended that the list description for the Boots D90 Headquarters Building at Thane Road Nottingham be amended for the following principal reason:
* The building, now known as The Boots D90 West Headquarters Building, has undergone enlargement and alteration and thus the existing list description requires amendment to reflect these changes. (4) |