AECOM delivered multidisciplinary services for a project to extend the headquarters of the Essex County Fire and Rescue Service (ECFRS) in the UK. The £8.5 million development has extended the existing headquarters to create a new emergency control centre where 999 calls are received, as well as interactive training rooms and additional administrative areas.

The extension accommodates all ECFRS’s headquarter employees under the same roof for the first time, as emergency control staff were previously located in another part of Essex. Putting all the employees together will improve efficiency and create a single delivery point for ECFRS.

The building includes an additional 2,500m2 of floor space – the equivalent of nine tennis courts – across two levels. The extension incorporates a series of sustainable measures including ‘pond-based heat pumps’ – a central heating system that transfers heat from the ground, as well as roof mounted photovoltaic panels for electricity.