Canolfan Rheidol - Public Architecture

Canolfan Rheidol 25
The project was developed as part of Ceredigion County
Council’s policy of rationalising their Property Asset Portfolio
and providing better access to services and information for
the County.
The 7,273m 2 (gross) office building accommodates
up to 475 staff members in a primarily open plan
office space. Designed as part of an overall
masterplan, which incorporated the Welsh Assembly
Government on the adjacent site, this BREEAM
“Excellent” building is located on a gateway site into
Aberystwyth. Space planning and interior design
services were provided by the Council in-house.
The building design was developed to an
environmentally driven brief and provides two
mix-mode wings located either side of the full height
central atrium. The steel structural frame supports
exposed flat pre-cast concrete soffits providing passive
environmental control, with cladding materials selected
to respond to regional and sustainable requirements.
The client brief for the project included the following
aspirations and requirements:
• To provide a building that improves public access
to information and services.
• To provide open plan working (with sufficient
meeting room accommodation) in a building that
is as green, efficient and functional as possible.
• To provide a building that incorporates innovation,
sustainable design features and achieves a
BREEAM rating of “Excellent”.
• To implement a masterplan that contributes Public
Realm benefits to the local community as well as to
the building users, encouraging public access and
participation in local government procedures.
Cllr. Keith Evans
receives the Award
from Mike Britch,
NPS Group Managing
Director, with David
Taylor and Martin
Severs of Ceredigion
County Council
W: www.ceredigion.
gov.uk
Photograph courtesy of Greg Keeling
Aerial view
Commended in the
Civic Building of the
Year Awards sponsored
by the NPS Group.

FROM PUMPING STATION TO OLD MASTERS -
SELECTAGLAZE HELPS SECURE THE UK’S MUSEUMS
Security of exhibits is an important consideration for museums and well protected windows are high on the list for
compliance with the Government Indemnity Scheme. As most museums are in traditional buildings their windows cannot
be altered or changed.
Established since 1966 and a Royal Warrant Holder since 2004, secondary glazing specialist Selectaglaze is at the forefront of product development
and design. Their range of security units have been rigorously tested against physical intrusion using the BS7950 standard and the Loss Prevention
Standard LPS1175. They are also accredited to “Secured by Design”.
Many historic properties, including a London sewage treatment works and pumping station and the former home of 19th Century classical painter and
President of The Royal Academy of Art - Frederic, Lord Leighton, have been transformed into museums and benefited from Selectaglaze’s expertise.
The Beam Engine Museum Built in 1850, this
Grade 2 listed pumping house contains what is
probably the last surviving eight-column steam Beam
Pumping Engine in its original location. In its heyday,
this remarkable engine discharged 4 million gallons of
effluent every 24 hours.
Now a working museum, it offers members of the
public firsthand experience of the engine in operation.
The monumental windows - which had previously been
bricked up to avoid vandalism to the Engine - had to be
opened up and fitted with protective screens following
the lines of the arched windows. Selectaglaze provided
a system of panels glazed with an anti-vandal
polycarbonate sheet fixed to the outside of the window
and finished in dark green to match the window frame.
Leighton House Museum
Built between 1864-1879, the
house was opened as a museum
in 1925. Utilising secondary
glazing, recent restoration included
improved security of selected
windows to SBD standards. To
respect the sight lines of the
traditional sashes each window
was treated with a single hinged
casement close coupled and
finished in matt black, matching
existing paintwork. The inclusion of
anti bandit glass and multi-point
locking ensures discreet protection.
Security secondary glazing will also markedly reduce external noise and significantly improve the thermal performance of the window, thus
reducing heating costs.
A comprehensive range of Selectaglaze’s literature is available from: enquiries@selectaglaze.co.uk
T: 01727 837271. F: 01727 844053.
www.selectaglaze.co.uk

Canolfan Rheidol 27
SW courtyard showing cladding and brise soleil
“The planning
authority was in
agreement that the
two adjoining
buildings should be
designed to an
overall masterplan.”
Main entrance
The planning authority was in agreement that the two
adjoining buildings should be designed to an overall
masterplan. The gateway site was required to
incorporate a landscape corridor and to take into
account the context of existing domestic two and
three storey buildings to the south and east, as well as
the visual impact from distant views.
The building form and construction materials were
driven by a strong environmental emphasis to ensure
the maximum passive environmental control was
achieved. The steel frame solution supports flat
precast concrete floor units that are exposed above
suspended lighting/acoustic rafts. The north and
south wing plan depths are such that natural
ventilation can occur and be driven up through the
central full height atrium space, with air exiting via
BMS controlled louvres at high level. The bold and
simple form has been articulated by the use of
extensive brise soleil, combined with zinc and
terracotta cladding.
View out from the atrium refectory
The building was required to achieve a BREEAM
“Excellent” rating and this was achieved by a mixture
of passive and active measures:
• Orientation and Shading: The building’s longer
facades are facing broadly south for ease of
solarshading, with vertical brise soleil used where
appropriate to east and west facing facades.
• Depth of Plan and Ventilation: North and south
wings, 15m and 13.5m deep either side of a

28 Canolfan Rheidol
“The building was
required to achieve
a BREEAM
“Excellent” rating
and this was
achieved by a
mixture of passive
and active
measures.”
Cnec kinder boiler
9m wide full height atrium, allow the building to be
predominantly naturally ventilated when required.
The ground floor facilities contain the high
occupancy areas requiring mechanical ventilation,
whilst the upper floors have the highly serviced
cellular spaces grouped at either end of the open
plan wings.
• Thermal Mass: Exposed concrete soffits allow for
heat absorption during the day following night time
cooling by a BMS controlled high level windows.
• Heating and Hot Water: This is provided by an off
site biomass boiler, which burns locally sourced
woodchip. The Council also provides the adjoining
WAG office building with energy at 2p/kWH plus a
small service charge.
• Electricity: In addition to generous natural lighting,
internal luminaires incorporate fully controllable
daylight dimming, adjusting power consumption
in relation to daylight levels. A 15m high
“Quiet Revolution” wind turbine and solar panels
supplement electrical demand.
• Water Conservation and Biodiversity: Rainwater
harvesting is incorporated for toilet flushing.
Project details
Notional Building Target Score (TER):
29.4kg CO 2 /m 2 /annum
Predicted Building Performance (DER):
14.9kg CO 2 /m 2 /annum
Predicted % Improvement:
49.3%
Credits
Architect:
Powell Dobson
Quantity Surveyor:
Ceredigion County Council
Mechanical & Electrical Engineer:
Hoare Lea
Predicted EPC Score:
B
BREEAM Rating:
Excellent
The Energy Saving Trust supported the project
via its Carbon Management Programme and
provides assistance in monitoring the energy
performance of the building.
Structural Engineer:
Clarke Bond
Start on site:
March 2008
Landscape Architect:
Soltys Brewer
Completion:
July 2009
Main Contractor:
Willmott Dixon Ltd.
The total cost of the project was £15 million
including fixtures and fittings

Canolfan Rheidol 29
Final costs summary
Contract sum
Base Construction Costs
1 Substructure
1A Specialist Testing and Gas Venting
1B Excavation and Cart Away
1C Piling Works
1D Ground Floor Slab and Foundations
1E Enabling Works
Substructure Total: £903,908.60
2 Superstructure
2A Frame
2B Upper Floors
2C Roof and Rainwater Disposal
2D Stairs and Walkways
2E External Walls
2F Windows, External Doors
2G Internal Walls and Partitions
2H Internal Doors
Superstructure Total: £4,960,559.97
3 Finishes
3A Wall Finishes
3B Floor Finishes
3C Ceiling Finishes
4 Fixtures and Fittings Total
4A
Furniture/Fixtures and Fittings
Fixtures and Fittings Total: £322,871.14
5 M&E Services
5A
5B
5C
5D
Mechanical Installation
Electrical Installation
Lift Installation
Builders’ Work in Connection
M&E Services Total: £3,513,526.88
6 External Works Total
6A
6B
6C
6D
Site Works
Drainage
External Services
Minor Building Works
External Works Total: £1,311,459.38
Preliminary Costs: £1,346,556.28
Design Fees/Misc Tests etc: £900,112.00
Total Construction Costs: £14,334,122.29
“The ground floor
facilities contain
the high occupancy
areas requiring
mechanical
ventilation.”
Finishes Total: £1,075,128.04
Overheads and Profit : £781,226.73
TOTAL: £15,115,349.02
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