Work to start imminently on Reading weather forecast centre

Mace has been appointed as main contractor by the Government Property Agency through the Crown Commercial Service framework (CCS) for the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF).

Mace will lead on the procurement of the design for the ECMWF new headquarters, located adjacent to Reading University’s Department of Meteorology, on the Whiteknights campus. 

Designed to be an industry leading net zero carbon building, the development is targeting a ‘BREEAM Excellent’ rating and will be low carbon during construction and when operational.

Once complete, the new HQ will house a research institute as well as 24/7 operational services, producing and disseminating numerical weather prediction to its member states. The new designs feature cross-disciplinary workspaces, a conference centre, council chamber, interactive weather room and central atrium.

The addition of the new headquarters on the campus will create the largest cluster of weather and climate research and operational forecasting facilities in the world, alongside the University’s Department of Meteorology, and parts of the UK Met Office, National Centre for Atmospheric Sciences and National Centre for Earth Observation.

Clive Anderson, Director of Capital Projects, Government Property Agency, said: “We are delighted to have submitted the planning application for this new state-of-the-art project. We’ve been working in partnership with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, the ECMWF and the University of Reading to deliver a modern, accessible, and highly sustainable building.’’