Tuesday, 14 December 2010 00:00
Gareth Davies, Cardiff Office, Healthcare
Treglown Court
We finally moved into our new office in Cardiff, Treglown Court three weeks ago and everybody is thrilled with the end result, especially with the care and expertise that has gone into making the building so green.
The last fortnight has not been without its hiccups. The wood pellet biomass boiler failed on several occasions and with temperatures dropping to –4degC it could have been disastrous. But the small 20kw domestic gas boiler, designed for peak load top up and summer hot water has managed to keep us warm despite this, showing what a highly insulated envelope can do.
Our new home is currently being assessed for its BREEAM Post Completion Review and we are keeping our fingers crossed that it will maintain the 'Outstanding' rating achieved at design stage. However, there is a bit of a stumbling block to overcome which is proving to be a test for us all.
Our builder has never undertaken a Considerate Constructor Scheme application and he is not quite achieving the minimum target score of 32. We are doing what we can to assist him and only time will tell.
We've also been investigating the possibility of becoming Carbon Neutral, improving our EPC rating from 22 to 0. To do this we will add a further 90 sq.m of PV's on our roof although this will mean the removal of a large area of recently planted nature roof with a consequential loss of ecology points. The payback is likely to be under 10 years with current Feed-in Tariffs and for our business is really a 'no-brainer'. We are hoping to achieve our Outstanding rating irrespective of this.
So, we are settled, happy and looking forward to the official opening of Treglown Court on the 13th January. Having such invigorating, sustainable, light and contemporary space will certainly raise the spirits in 2011.
For more information about Treglown Court please visit the following pages:
projects / offices / Treglown Court
news & events / Stride Treglown Wins 'Best Office Architecture' At The UK Property Awards
news & events / Stride Treglown wins Green IT Award
