November Refurb and Retrofit Magazine

Floor, Walls & Ceilings
Green capital showcases sustainabilty in
Bristol fashion
As the 2015 European Green Capital, the City of Bristol wanted to showcase a new business park that placed environmental
sustainability at the forefront of its ambitions. The dream: Applying new methodologies, build techniques and adopting green
technologies to boost its environmental credentials and set the standards for future developments in the city. The reality: A BREEAM
score of ‘Outstanding’, contributing to the project’s distinction as the second most sustainable industrial building in the UK.
Opened in May 2015, the £10.5 million
Filwood Green Business Park
development is a new sustainable
workplace located in Knowle West, Bristol and
provides 3,700m2 of flexible workshop and
office accommodation with the potential to
create up to 350 new jobs in the area.
The idea of a sustainable Green Business Park
came from the local community during the
development of the 20-year Knowle West
Regeneration Framework. In order to achieve
this vision, Bristol City Council appointed a
design team that included Architects Stride
Treglown Limited, Engineering and
Sustainability Consultants CH2M, Project
Managers Sweett Group, and Midas as
Contractor; a team with strong environmental
credentials and a track record in sustainable
projects.
A key focus for the entire team from the outset
was to reduce the building’s carbon emissions
focussing specifically on the ‘performance gap’
– where buildings designed for low carbon emit
significantly more carbon than planned when in
operation. Consequently, the building’s
performance requirements were clearly defined
at the design stage and pushed through the
entire supply chain at the construction stage.
Optimising Performance
The green agenda for the building, as
recommended by BREEAM, was also agreed
early at the briefing stage in order to achieve the
highest performing build at the lowest cost. The
process started with deciding on the form,
orientation and building envelope in order to
allow natural ventilation and natural daylight.
Project Architect James Horner from Stride
Treglown said: “This was an essential part of the
brief to ventilate the building as naturally as
possible. However, with its proximity to a busy
road there was quite a challenge with acoustics
from open windows. I think this typified the
BREEAM approach, with ourselves and the rest
of the team completely in sync looking for
solutions, and the client too, who was actively
engaged at all stages of the project.”
Intelligent controls, smart metering, post
completion monitoring and comprehensive
maintenance of the building ensured that the
building operates well through its whole
lifecycle by minimising the operational energy
consumption. A great emphasis was also put on
the BREEAM Health and Wellbeing issues,
moderating the internal summer time
temperatures and providing exemplary levels of
natural light.
To improve the building fabric performance, a
high standard of insulation and materials with
BRE Green Guide ratings of A/A+ were selected,
reducing the energy demand by 30%.
Combined with on-site energy generation
provided by 138kWp photovoltaic panels, the
building achieved a 40% CO2 reduction, saving
an estimated 46 tons of CO2 annually.
In order to maximise water efficiency, low water
use appliances were specified including
waterless urinals which contributed to over 50%
reduction of potable water consumption. The
use of sustainable transport modes has been
encouraged through provision of electric
vehicle charging points, cycle paths, secure
cycle parking and facilities including showers, a
drying room and a bicycle spares kit. The
biodiversity of the site was further enhanced by
a sedum green roof and a sky garden with a
wide range of species. In addition, Filwood has
also achieved outstanding scores in BREEAM
waste, pollution and management categories.
Importantly, this flagship development
promotes the benefits of BREEAM, ‘green’ design
and building management through its website
and visual displays of the key environmental
performance measures in reception. Local
community continue to be involved and
educated through links with public arts events
in and around the site.
As a result, the Filwood Green Business Park has
received a BREEAM rating of Outstanding with a
score of 93% and become the second most
sustainable industrial building in the UK – a key
driver in attracting and retaining tenants.
George Ferguson CBE, former Mayor of Bristol,
said: “Achieving BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ was the
*ambition for Bristol as European Green Capital
in 2015. This project sets / the standard for
future industrial developments in the city, and
for the wider regeneration of South Bristol. It is
the first BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ development of
its type in the South West, aimed at attracting
the environmental sector and low carbon
businesses that Bristol needs to take forward
our vision for a greener, healthier and
more sustainable city.”
www.breeam.com
34 Refurb retrofit
magazine
Nov 2016 R2