OFFICES housed in a former wool factory have received a major national property award.

The Student Loans Company (SLC), in the Memphis building at Lingfield Point, Darlington, was named the best refurbished/recycled workplace in the UK at the National British Council for Offices (BCO) Awards in London.

The Fifties building, which is owned by Marchday, was part of the Patons and Baldwins wool factory in Darlington and now houses 650 SLC staff.

Marchday were keen to celebrate the building’s history, and the Student Loans Company commissioned designers 3Fold-Graven Images to create the interior.

The Memphis building also recently won the Best Commercial Property Development at the Royal Chartered Institute of Surveyors’ (RICS) North East Renaissance Awards and is shortlisted for the national RICS awards due to be announced later this month.

Marchday director John Orchard said: “The judges told us that even though Memphis is a beautiful building with a real soul, it was Marchday’s relationship with the SLC that really made this scheme different.

He said: “The regeneration of Memphis is the result of a great partnership between two fantastic teams.

“This award is testament to their hard work and great ideas.”

Derek Ross, deputy chief executive of the SLC, said: “Memphis is a truly remarkable building that has exceeded our expectations and we are delighted that is has quite rightly achieved national acclaim.”