Cultural & Civic Sector

Jersey Archive is the largest passively air-conditioned modern archive building in the world and provided two new intimate public spaces for St Helier. Opened in July 2000, on the site of a former quarry, this facility has created a new civic destination for the local population and tourists re-tracing their roots in the Channel Islands. The regeneration of the quarry, previously lost to the public, parallels the raison d’etre of the Archive itself – to reveal and preserve the island’s history. The building is uncompromisingly modern but with a sensitive use of materials, demonstrating how modern architecture can fit into and complement Jersey’s traditional setting. Together with engineer’s Ove Arup and Partners, the design team developed an environmental strategy exploiting the significant thermal mass of the building’s structure to provide passive environmental control of humidity and temperature, obviating the need for powered air-coonditioning with it’s high capital, running and maintenance costs.

Since opening to the public it has received universal acclaim for its customer friendly facilities and efficient working environment. BDK Architects also undertook Interior Design for the project encompassing detailing and procurement of the bespoke furniture and management of Public Art interventions. The project has been highly praised by acclaimed architectural critics and reviews have been published in the Architects Journal, Architectural Review and Architectural Research Quarterly.