The brief called for a landmark building at the heart of the campus, providing 1,350 square metres of office space plus seminar facilities combining high architectural standards with innovations in energy efficient environmental design. The project received a BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) ‘Excellent’ rating, achieving the highest score recorded at the time.

The offices were designed to a performance specification, a collaboration between the Building Research Establishment and industry to investigate the parameters of comfortable and healthy, low energy workplaces for the 21st century. The building was seen as an experimental structure designed to use approximately 30% less energy than current best practice. The specification, devised as part of the Energy Efficient Office of the Future project, set stringent targets for energy consumption adn developed wider environmental concerns such as recycling.

It incorporated a wide range of innovative environmental features including thermal mass, borehole ground water cooling and natural ventilation.

96% of the material from demolition of the redundant workshops on site was recycled and this was the first UK use of recycled aggregate for concrete superstructure. Other recycled materials included brickwork, screeds, made from recycled power station gypsum and wood block floors recycled from County Hall in London.

Client: Building Research Establishment

Construction value: £2,900,000

Completion: 1996