Feethams House, Darlington: Contributing towards Net Zero
This case study highlights the establishment of Feethams House within the Darlington Economic Campus, detailing its function as a modern, multi-department government workspace.
Opened in June 2022, Feethams House is a key building at the Darlington Economic Campus and accommodates no fewer than 600 staff from eight government departments, including HM Treasury.
The office provides over 3,000 square metres of modern workspace that supports smarter and flexible working across multiple floors. The building was designed as a fully interoperable environment, with a complete network infrastructure delivered in just seven months. This included a shared network as part of the GPA’s OneEstate programme, enabling civil servants to work flexibly across government locations. The layout at Feethams House includes collaborative spaces, quiet focus zones and accessible facilities to support staff with neurodiversity and their overall wellbeing, in line with the Government Workplace Design Guide.
The building was commended for the use of sustainable materials and the minimisation of waste during its fit-out, after attaining BREEAM Excellent certification. With sustainability at the core of the works, this led to 50 per cent of the materials being sourced from local providers and the diversion of 100 per cent of waste, equalling 46 tonnes, from landfills – ensuring Feethams House received the highest ever BREEAM rating for a GPA-led refurbishment.