Building of the Year 2025 Shortlist: Civic
Civic creates a thriving new commercial hub in the centre of Wigan, transforming an empty, neglected 1960s brutalist landmark into BREEAM excellent workspaces for Capital&Centric and Wigan Council.
The original precast concrete structure, built to house council offices, has been vacant since 2018. Identified as a key site for Wigan’s regeneration framework, Civic provides aspirational office space for a growing population, with inclusive, re-greened public realm. The renewed building features market-leading facilities including flexible workspace, a café, a gym, mini-cinema, and a roof terrace.
Civic repurposes Wigan’s former Civic Centre on Millgate – a 1960s brutalist icon that served as the heart of local government for almost 50 years – transforming the 54,000 sqft void in the town centre into BREEAM Excellent workspace under the Wigan Strategic Regeneration Framework.
The redevelopment of Civic is a cornerstone of Wigan’s regeneration, turning a long-underused landmark into a vibrant hub for modern business, creativity and community life. By breathing new life into this derelict building at the heart of the town centre, Civic anchors daytime footfall, attracts and retains talent, and gives local entrepreneurs a place to grow.
Public-facing elements include a café, improved entrances, and re-greened outdoor space, reconnecting Millgate to key town centre locations, while revitalising the streetscape. Distinctive brutalist features have been retained (waffle ceilings, terrazzo staircases, cantilevered canopies), giving new life to existing materials, reducing additional resource consumption, while protecting the building’s local heritage.
Achieving strong sustainability credentials and improved operational performance and biodiversity, the conservation-led, user-first retrofit unlocks wasted space and demonstrates how creative building reuse can contribute to urban regeneration, re-greening, and environmental enhancement in our town centres.
Civic doesn’t just transform a single site; it signals confidence in Wigan’s future and sets the benchmark for the next chapter of the town’s renewal - exemplifying socially regenerative placemaking that uses creative building reuse to repair urban landscapes and inspire communities.
Join us for the Property and Construction Dinner on 5th March 2026 where we will be announcing the winner!
