award winning architects

Monday, 16 January 2012 00:00

John Wright, Workplace

John Wright

Designing Green. Designing For Your Greatest Asset – Your Employees

No-one is now looking for 'trophy' buildings in the regions. Even the latest trophy buildings in London such as the Shard, designed by international 'star-chitects' and funded by Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds, are finding it hard to attract tenants.

Not even the most successful companies are looking to flaunt their wealth and success. They are looking for understated buildings that have quality materials and are well designed, and that offer an excellent working environment for their most valuable assets - their staff.

Apart from the external image and the working environment, the most important issue being addressed is sustainability. Attitudes to sustainability and how 'green' a HQ needs to be very much depends upon the type of company and the business it operates in. 'Corporates' with external investors and/or strong CSR Policies tend to require buildings that 'tick' the sustainability box, with a BREEAM 'Excellent' rating, so commercial developers supplying this market must ensure that they meet this.

One Glass Wharf is a good example, where we have used the opportunities presented by a brown field location with good transport links to maximise sustainability whilst still delivering a high quality fully flexible corporate environment. Public sector bodies, whether they are central or local government, do need to meet sustainability targets, but these are now focused on helping them to meet Carbon Reduction Commitment requirements, so they are more interested in the EPC rating of their buildings.

This market tends to develop offices for themselves, taking advantage of existing land ownerships and the ability to borrow at competitive rates. With long term occupancy expectations and ownership, these occupiers also focus on whole life cost over initial capital cost, and are more willing to embrace non-standard solutions. And clearly the external perception of these buildings tends to be one of understated quality - nothing flashy that will encourage accusations of wasting tax payers' money.

At Badminton Road Offices for South Gloucestershire Council we designed a building that responded to its site and orientation to reduce energy use and maximise natural daylight, and used a mixed mode ventilation system - with opening windows and natural ventilation for the majority of the year, but using displacement air conditioned ventilation at extreme temperatures - plus a biomass boiler and solar thermal, all enabling an EPC rating of 'B' to be achieved.

When organisations that are still in private control seek new HQ offices the buildings have a habit of reflecting the personality of their leaders, whether they are purpose designed, like Aardman's offices, or whether they are speculatively designed by commercial developers.

When Hargreaves Lansdown chose to relocate to One College Square in Harbourside, Bristol, the key factors were location close to their existing base in Clifton, and an efficient building that would provide a professional working environment for their growing workforce. Working with developer Crest Nicholson we were able to modify the existing design to provide additional floorspace whilst maintaining the striking external form of the building.

John Wright, Director (Workplace)