Education secretary Michael Gove (right) has provoked a barrage of criticism after his department selected a leading architect to refurbish its historic new headquarters building which it sued three years ago for alleged negligence. It emerged this week that the Department for Education (DfE) has chosen BDP to redevelop Whitehall's 18th-century Old Admiralty Building (above), the former home of the Royal Navy overlooking Horse Guards Parade, as offices for the department. In July 2011, Gove and the DfE lodged a £3 million High Court claim accusing BDP - in its role as structural and service engineer on the Stirling Prize-nominated Westminster Academy - of 'negligent breach of duty' connected to ventilation faults and problems with the building's sports hall.
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