Hethel Engineering Centre is a business dedicated to supporting the growth and success of high performance engineering and manufacturing companies and individuals throughout the region. This project was led by Norfolk County Council in partnership with South Norfolk Council, EEDA, Training and Enterprise Council and other key business/engineering partnerships in Norfolk (Norfolk Engineering Excellence/Shaping the Future/Business Link). The building was designed to ensure that it reflected its close affiliation with engineering and motorsport. It is sleek, dynamic and powerful - an image in tune with the technological innovation it seeks to inspire - and successfully meets the design criteria to provide a simple structure that demonstrates design clarity in the rural landscape. Environmental and economic sustainability were major considerations in the design and construction stages and the building specifically:- •Orientation to provide natural daylight to all offices, and circulation spaces are top-lit to minimize the use of artificial lighting •Heating and cooling delivered by air-to-air heat pumps and heat recovery ventilation •The off-site transportation of excavated soil was minimised by mounding and contouring on the site as part of an integrated landscape design •Landscaping features incorporating sustainable surface water drainage systems (SUDS) and microclimate conditioning •External lighting design to ensure light pollution is kept to a minimum in the rural Norfolk countryside •Flexible ICT installations