Architectural features of our new head office

The new three-storey building has been designed to be energy efficient and have a low environmental impact with naturally ventilated offices with computer controlled windows; an extensive ground-source heat-pump system to cool and heat the building, a rainwater harvesting system and a computerised lighting system to reduce electricity consumption. The building has been awarded BREEAM 2006 ‘Excellent’, meaning that it is one of the most energy efficient office developments in the country. The building will use the latest environmental technology to maximise natural resources and minimise carbon emissions.

There are six chimneys through the building, including the two large funnel-shaped structures on the roof, that act as part of the natural ventilation system to draw fresh air across the offices and the large Atrium to remove the need for air conditioning in all open spaces. Windows in the office areas will open and close automatically, operated by a computerised building management system to control the internal environmental conditions within the offices and Atrium.

The whole building will be heated and kept cool by one of the largest ground-source heat-pump systems in the country, which consists of nearly 100 boreholes over 90 metres deep connected to heat pumps that can either heat or cool the building, equivalent to nearly one megawatt of electrical consumption.

A rainwater harvesting system will collect and recycle rainwater that will be held in a 100 000 litre underground holding tank. This will be used to flush all the toilets throughout the buildings and irrigate the site when needed during very dry conditions.

There is a computerised lighting system throughout the building to complement natural daylight from large north-facing floor to ceiling windows. The lighting system responds to levels of external daylight and movement, switching off when not required to reduce electricity consumption. South facing windows are kept to a minimum to reduce solar gain and reduce the need to cool the building in hot weather.

Other environmental initiatives include a large composter to recycle all kitchen waste on site. There will be over 375 trees planted on site to supplement those in the adjacent woodland, and we are maintaining a natural wildlife corridor along the northern perimeter of the site to encourage wildlife in their natural habitat.