Both Sides of The Coin: The Story of The Central Bank of Barbados 1972-2017

78 A design for the building By the middle of 1977, a Headquarters Project Committee had been put in place. The governor was the chairman, Douglas Lynch represented the Board of Directors and other members were the chief town planner, the chief technical director, the architect (still to be chosen), the bank secretary, the governor’s assistant, who was the committee's secretary, and Thomas Tomlin, an experienced retired architect. 46 In December 1977, the Bank secured the services of Professor David Gosling, who taught architecture at the University of Sheffield, to prepare a development plan for Church Village by the following month. Professor Gosling’s services were made possible through the CFTC. The first part of his report (on land use) was considered by the Project Committee early in February 1978 and received Cabinet approval in June. This cleared the way for Phase II of the study, a more detailed analysis of the physical environment, also to be funded by the CFTC. In September that year, the contract for the design of the building and the supervision of the construction was awarded to Mervyn A. Awon. Consulting Engineers Partnership Limited was selected as consulting structural and civil engineers and Peter McLaughlin was chosen to advise on the technical aspects, in particular the space requirements. The Bank’s brief to the architects stipulated that the building should: (i) be distinctive in appearance; (ii) be community-oriented, yet very secure; (iii) be energy-conscious; (iv) maximise the use of local materials; and (v) be functionally efficient and a pleasant place to work. The architects submitted their completed design and a model of a ten- storey building during 1979. These designs were accepted by the Board of Directors and approved by the Planning and Priorities Committee of the Cabinet. At this juncture some delay was experienced because of the difficulty in getting title deeds to the land previously occupied by the