Great Glen House
Scottish Natural Heritage HQ, Inverness

Building Team

• CLIENT/DEVELOPER: ROBERTSON GROUP, ON BEHALF OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HERITAGE
• TENANT: SCOTTISH NATURAL HERITAGE
• OWNER: ROBERTSON GROUP
• ARCHITECT: KEPPIE DESIGN
• STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: WATERMAN GROUP
• SERVICES ENGINEER: DSSR
• QUANTITY SURVEYOR: KLM PARTNERSHIP
• PROJECT MANAGER: KLM PARTNERSHIP
• BRIEF CONSULTANT: URS
• CONTRACTOR: ROBERTSON GROUP

Building Data

• COMPLETED: JUNE 2006
• NET: 5,340 m²
• GROSS: 6,000 m²
• EFFICIENCY: 80%
• FLOORS: 3
• COST: £12,000,000 SHELL AND CORE

The atrium is the hub of the building; this large space drives the natural ventilation strategy and provides a central access point for distinct zones including the open-plan offices, the public library, and a separate zone encompassing the boardroom, meeting spaces and the staff lunch area. The atrium also functions as reception and exhibition gallery, while providing touch-down facilities for visitors to work remotely. Almost everything (except the staff gym, labs and workshops) is fed by the atrium, which bisects the building almost north–south. Its open nature helps ensure that the three floors of office accommodation (all 15 m wide) receive as much daylight as possible while views to the landscape beyond are maximised. The glulam structure of the atrium contrasts with the rest of the building, which is built of steel and concrete, the thermal properties of which are an integral part of the cooling system.

Great Glen House is a large building and had to have a certain civic presence; equally, though, it is a publicly owned building which should enhance,

A Library, Oval In Plan and Open to the Public by Appointment, Projects from the Front of the Building, drawing People in Towards the Entrance. The building is Provided with Separately Metered Power Distribution Boards to Allow for it to Become Multi-Tenanted.

© Michael Wolchover

rather than detract from, its spectacular setting. The architects, Keppie Design, tried hard to reflect the character of the client, and the building’s design grew out of SNH’s ethos: ‘caring for the natural environment, enriching people’s lives and promoting sustainable use’. Value for money and project control were delivered through a design and build contract with the Robertson Group, while the Building Research Establishment monitored the environmental aspects of construction. Indeed, building materials – which also had to reflect the civic, environmental and social responsibility of the end user – had to be ‘A rated’ under the BRE’s Green Guide to Specification, creating a very low embodied energy rating for the completed project. The requirement to source materials locally, where possible, provided local investment.

The Atrium, in Glulam, Organises the Spaces of the Building, While Users Benefit from Generous Views of the Landscape. Occupants also Benefit from 3.7 m Floor-to-Ceiling Heights and a Plan Depth of 15 m.

© Michael Wolchover

Nonetheless, BCO judges were satisfied that the design intent was realised in the finished building, and costs were kept under control in spite of the extra demands placed on the delivery team. The shell and core was built at a cost of £1,250 per m². ‘It was only late in the project that the tenant exercised an option to purchase. This proved that quality is not just confined to high-value locations,’ said the BCO judges’ report in 2007. ‘A key factor is that the initial tight design brief was carried through rather than succumbing to the temptation to cut corners. It could so easily have been compromised by value engineering.’

In terms of value, Great Glen House has been further enhanced through its ability to become multi-tenanted, should SNH decide to either move on or rationalise its presence and let under-used space. Each of the three office floors is metered separately and the cores have been located so as to allow the easy subdivision of these open-plan areas.

The building was also delivered relatively fast. Robertson Property was appointed as preferred developer in October 2004, and planning consent was granted in February 2005 (shortly before the developer was awarded a bat licence); work on site began the following month, and practical completion was achieved in June 2006, although the building wasn’t occupied until the following October. This highly insulated, naturally ventilated 5,340 m² (net) building provides 3,000 m² of office space, 1,000 m² of support space and 300 m² of laboratories and other ancillary accommodation; it also provides breeding grounds for newts and sets a particularly high standard in developing commercial buildings in sensitive rural locations. ‘The building has created pleasant and efficient working conditions, with a clearly legible form taking advantage of views across Inverness,’ said the BCO judges.

This £12 Million Building Provides 6,700 m² of Open-Plan, Flexible Office Space for Scottish Natural Heritage. When Completed, It Obtained A Breeam Score of 84.01%.

© Michael Wolchover

This Plan Shows the ‘Internal Street’ Running Left–Right, Culminating in the Oval-Shaped Library. This Street is the Heart of the Building.

© Keppie Designs

South Cambridgeshire Hall
Cambridge

Building Team

• CLIENT: SOUTH CAMBRIDGESHIRE DISTRICT COUNCIL
• ARCHITECT: AUKETT
• DEVELOPER: DEVELOPMENT SECURITIES & WENBRIDGE LTD
• STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: WHITBY BIRD
• SERVICES ENGINEER: FABERMAUNSELL
• QUANTITY SURVEYOR: AYH
• PROJECT MANAGER: WRENBRIDGE LAND
• BRIEF CONSULTANT: LAMBERT SMITH HAMPTON
• INTERIOR DESIGNER: BREATHE
• CONTRACTOR: ALFRED MCALPINE

Building Data

• COMPLETED: APRIL 2004
• NET: 5,154 m²
• GROSS: 5,899 m²
• EFFICIENCY: 87%
• FLOORS: 3
• COST: £8,719,135 TO CAT B

Prompted by the high cost of upgrading and expanding existing facilities, SCDC ran a design competition which was eventually won by Aukett in partnership with Cambourne Business Park Ltd, a joint-venture property business. Importantly for a local authority, the building was procured by first agreeing a total cost and a firm timetable. The council has certainly got a lot of value for money, while the move to this new business park has freed up land for development in Cambridge itself. The council’s 340 staff are now able to work more efficiently in a building which is highly flexible and welcoming for members of the public. Since completion in April 2004, the rate of staff turnover has reduced.

‘A modern building providing good-quality office accommodation,’ said the brief to the architects, and continued, ‘to provide a high-comfort working environment that will be adaptable to the defined future requirements of South Cambridgeshire District Council. The building is to be of a suitable civic style befitting a council office. It is important that the building achieves a pleasant working environment for staff and a welcoming and pleasant space for the general public to visit.’

Like many buildings featured in this book, the SCDC development centres on a ‘street’ around which open-plan offices are ranged. The idea, no different from a commercial environment, is to

This Breeam ‘Excellent’ Rated Building Forms a New Council Office for South Cambridgeshire District Council. It is a Steel-Framed Building With Precast Omina Floor Slabs – a Combination Chosen for its Speed in Construction and the Thermal Mass Required for Cooling.

© Simon Warren

The Atrium Sits at the Heart of the Building. Each Department Still Has Its Own ‘Neighbourhood’, But Open-Plan Working Facilitates Cross-Departmental Communication. High Staff Turnover Has Reducedc as a Result of this High-Quality Working Environment.

© Simon Warren

preserve a sense of ‘neighbourhood’ for specific teams and departments while encouraging better communication and a reduced silo mentality across the entire organisation. The big difference between this building and its corporate cousins is the large stone-faced block that projects forward adjacent to the entrance – this contains the council’s debating chamber. This space, now more accessible to the public, is also flexible enough to be easily converted into three separate meeting rooms.

This Floorplan Shows Workspaces Running Along the Bottom, with Cellular Meeting Spaces (Essential for Local Government work) Located on the Other Side of the Atrium.

© Aukett Fitzroy Robinson

Although the building can boast a large array of sustainable features, Aukett took the decision to make no great song and dance about them. ‘In setting out to design a highly sustainable building such as South Cambridgeshire Hall there can often be temptations to incorporate rafts of highly visible innovative features loudly proclaiming to the casual observer the project’s green credentials,’ say the architects. ‘However, a truly sustainable building needs by definition to work successfully over a long period of time.’ The practice therefore adopted robust, tried and tested techniques: use of the stack effect for ventilation; a mixed-mode air-conditioning system; opening windows for fresh air; shading devices; and the thermal mass of concrete, for example.

This is a building that could very easily be adapted for a commercial client should the district council wish to move out, or to sublet space, so the architectural language had to be neutral enough to have a broad appeal. However, the building also boasts a handful of more eye-catching frills, including louvres which track the sun to optimise shading and an ETFE canopy over the internal ‘street’ – a product selected for its lightness, insulative properties and its ability to transmit indirect natural light deep into the office spaces.

Because of the wish to expose large amounts of concrete within the building, South Cambridgeshire Hall contains no suspended ceilings. The long-term worry, then, was that adaptations (especially of partitions, lighting and signing) would eventually leave a substantial amount of scarring on the soffits; indeed, the architects had to work hard to give an acceptable finish to even the first fit-out. ‘A cluttered soffit covered with electrical conduits snaking in all directions was a real danger,’ they admit. The lighting and services strategy was considered very early – all fixings to the flat soffit were to be applied to specially designed joint lines, thereby concealing holes and reducing the danger of long-term damage. The lighting and electrical systems are distributed through a network of simple cable trays; a central spine supplies ‘fingers’ of lighting which branch off at regular intervals.

The building has enhanced the profile of the business park in which it sits, while lending a certain status to the growing community of Cambourne. In fact, the building is fast becoming something of a community hub by playing host to all manner of local events.

Scottish GAS HQ
Edinburgh

Building Team

• CLIENT: SECONDSITE PROPERTY
• TENANT: SCOTTISH GAS
• ARCHITECT: FOSTER + PARTNERS
• STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: WHITE YOUNG GREEN
• ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTANT: BATTLE MCCARTHY
• SERVICES ENGINEER: BATTLE MCCARTHY
• LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT: HYLAND EDGAR DRIVER
• FIRE CONSULTANT: EDINBURGH FIRE CONSULTANCY
• ACOUSTIC CONSULTANT: SANDY BROWN ASSOCIATES
• AUDIO-VISUAL CONSULTANT: HEWSHOTT MEDIA
• QUANTITY SURVEYOR: DAVIS LANGDON MOTT GREEN WALL
• CATERING CONSULTANT: BERKELEY PROJECTS UK
• MAIN CONTRACTOR: EXTERIOR INTERNATIONAL

Building Data

• COMPLETED: SEPTEMBER 2003
• NET: 8,532 m²
• GROSS: 9,805 m²
• EFFICIENCY: 87%
• FLOORS: 5
• COST: £18,011,785 TO CAT B

This 10,500 m² building was eventually completed at a cost of £1,837 per m² (£1,036 of which was for the shell and core). This very reasonable cost for a headquarters building is enhanced by the fact that it has been designed to be quickly and cheaply reconfigured. In 2004 the third floor of the building was entirely reorganised, involving the complete relocation of 350 staff; the entire process was completed within 12 hours at no cost. Moreover, although this headquarters and call centre was designed with two-shift operations in mind, it could assume a 24-hour work programme without incurring building-related costs. Foster + Partners actually delivered the building on time and under budget. The base-build and fit-out processes overlapped, owing to an integrated team of architects, consultants and interior designers. Better than that, Fosters have managed to preserve a sense of lightness and space in a building that is occupied at a density of 6 m² per person.

Part of the project’s aims was, apart from a piece of corporate image-making, to reduce staff turnover, encourage loyalty to the company and enhance productivity – all of which, of course, have direct financial implications. ‘Staff are using the building as though they had been here for years, which is testament to their acceptance of it,’ wrote the client. Fosters describes the building as ‘a benchmark for future call centres across Britain’.

The Client Wanted a Lot for Very Little, and Fosters Delivered a High-Quality Building for £1,036 PER m² (Shell and Core).

© Nigel Young / Foster + Partners

The Steel Stair and Bridge System, Suspended over the Atrium, Provides Space for Informal Meetings. The frame of the Building is of Reinforced Concrete.

© Nigel Young / Foster + Partners

The building is, essentially, a glass box. A very simple brise soleil of thin metal strips transforms the appearance of the four-storey building, cutting solar gain while not compromising the views to Edinburgh and the Firth of Forth. The brise soleil also delicately encloses the canopied entrance, which leads to a full-height atrium crossed by staggered bridges which act as breakout areas. Density was increased by dispensing with the typical arrangement of cruciform furniture layouts and introducing a linear bench configuration, developed with the client’s space planners and furniture manufacturer Beyon. The planning and desk solution allows for a clear and effective definition of team space, while personal storage is provided by communal banks running between lines of desks – each shift starts with a clear desk, leaving the workstation ready for the next user. People can also use a different desk location each day, so personal adjacencies are constantly changing, team identity is preserved and flexibility maintained. Staff effectiveness also extends to the arrangement of personal computers and cabling: PCs are arranged in banks at the end of each bench, providing ease of access for maintenance, while power and data are fed from a bespoke cable management pod which reduces the number of floor penetrations for wiring to two per ten members of staff. Each storey has been given its own colour treatment, selected by staff from a set of options prepared by the architect; loose furniture was selected in a similar manner, after Fosters drew up a shortlist of appropriate pieces.

Section Through Office Space Circulation Core and Atrium. The Staggered Bridges Over The Atrium are Used as Informal Meeting Areas.

© Foster + Partners

This Building, Designed for an Occupational Density of One Person Per 6 m², Still Manages to Retain a Sense of Light and Airiness; Views Both Within and Without the Building are Clear and Uncluttered. Desking is Provided by Beyon’s 6.5 m long Bench System

© Nigel Young / Foster + Partners

Structurally, the building is of a reinforced concrete frame using coffered floor slabs; the entrance canopy is of structural steelwork. The brise soleil shading devices and high-performance glazing manages to achieve a balance between light and heat, while 350 mm raised floors provide for high volumes of fresh air distribution, necessary for the occupational density and computer use of call centre conditions. The internal environmental conditions are modulated by a combination of displacement ventilation, passive chilled beams and pre-cooled exposed thermal mass. Originally, the design team considered natural ventilation, but the high winds (containing moist, salty air) blowing off the Firth of Forth caused Fosters and environmental engineer Battle McCarthy to reconsider their options. The building, as built, purges any accumulated heat at night through a draft-free turnover of internal air with cool external air (at around 0.5 to 1.0 air changes per hour). The project has been awarded a BREEAM rating of ‘excellent’.

‘Call centres are not renowned for their beauty or friendliness,’ said a BCO report. ‘Low cost generally means low-quality location. But Foster + Partners has broken all these rules with their Scottish Gas development.’

Oxfam Global Hub
Oxford

Building Team

• CLIENT: OXFAM
• ARCHITECT: FRANK SHAW ASSOCIATES
• OWNER / INVESTOR: ARLINGTON BUSINESS PARKS PARTNERSHIP
• DEVELOPER: ARLINGTON DEVELOPMENT SERVICES
• STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: JACOBS
• SERVICES ENGINEER: IEI
• QUANTITY SURVEYOR: WT PARTNERSHIP
• PROJECT MANAGER: ARLINGTON DEVELOPMENT MANAGEMENT
• INTERIOR FIT-OUT: BENNETT INTERIOR DESIGN
• CONTRACTOR: MOSS CONSTRUCTION C/O KIER GROUP

Building Data

• COMPLETED: JUNE 2005
• NET: 8,073 m²
• GROSS: 9,309 m²
• EFFICIENCY: 87%
• FLOORS: 3
• COST: £15,296,845 TO CAT A

Oxfam eventually teamed up with Arlington, a business park developer with a strong reputation for managing design and build projects efficiently, while keeping costs down and maximising value. A sense of partnership was paramount: not only was Oxfam insisting on making (and being seen to make) financial efficiencies, but it made an adherence to its ethical purchasing and sustainability criteria a condition of the contract. The result is a building with a net internal floor area of 8,073 m², purchased at a cost of £1,895 per m² (£1,646 per m² gross floor area). This cost includes a large staff restaurant and crèche, general shower facilities for staff who cycle to work, spaces for Oxfam to host large public functions and media events, and intelligently thought-out office accommodation for over 700 employees.

Efficiencies were partly secured by that strong sense of partnership and a very close collaboration between client, developer, architect and engineers. A series of key performance indicators were established very early on in the project and adhered to throughout the design and construction phases. Also, Arlington made clever use of Oxfam’s charitable status to secure a tax-efficient procurement strategy.

Apart from cost efficiencies, though, Oxfam was keen to change its work culture and provide staff

The Finish of the Building is Clean, Efficient and Effective Without being Showy. Nonetheless, It is Sufficient for Oxfam to Host Exhibitions, Events and Media briefings, Which Formerly Would Have Been Located Off-Site.

© Goodman

The Central Atrium Which Runs the Length of the Building. This Office Development Was Designed to Achieve an Occupant Density of one Person Per 8.5 m². The Plan Efficiency Measures 86.9%.

© Goodman

with a more integrated environment. The three-storey building clusters around a central atrium; most working space is on the first and second storeys, while bridges across the atrium both improve linkages and incorporate informal breakout areas. The ground floor includes a conference suite with facilities for outside broadcasts. No longer does the organisation have to use external facilities for large public events or announcements.

Oxfam Global Hub, A Building Commissioned to Represent Value for Money to Avoid the International Charity Being Accused of Profligacy.

© Goodman

The brief to the developer asked that working environments be ‘bright, airy and colourful, making maximum use of natural light’. The open-plan layouts, moreover, should assist with communications between staff. Arlington and the design team delivered just that, commented judges when making the Oxfam Global Hub a regional winner in the 2006 BCO Awards. ‘What could have become a standard business park building has become a showpiece,’ they added.

Via a series of sustainability and energy efficiency measures, including the use of laboratory-tested, active chilled beams, the building achieves a ‘very good’ BREEAM rating. At least 80% of all timber used in the project (both temporary and permanent) was sourced with FSC certification, and recycled materials were used wherever possible. The supply chain was closely monitored to ensure compliance with Oxfam’s ethical purchasing policy, a process which included the scrutiny of all subcontractors. Prefabrication was also adopted wherever possible to maximise quality and shorten the construction programme.

‘In general, staff and management are very conscious that the charity needs to demonstrate efficiency and a high degree of public and donor accountability,’ said a report from architects Frank Shaw Associates. ‘Waste and extravagance are not tolerated, given that a new headquarters building is very much in the spotlight. Bureaucracy and excessive overhead costs would portray Oxfam badly to the outside world and would seriously damage the organisation’s credibility. The improvements in operational efficiencies and working practices have been assessed in cost–benefit analyses and have satisfied the primary objective of cost-effectiveness.’

Fort Dunlop
Birmingham

Building Team

• PROJECT CLIENT: URBAN SPLASH
• INVESTOR/DEVELOPER: URBAN SPLASH
• ARCHITECT: SHEDKM
• INTERIOR DESIGNER: SHEDKM
• STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: CURTINS CONSULTING ENGINEERS
• SERVICES ENGINEER: BENNETT WILLIAMS BUILDING SERVICES
• QUANTITY SURVEYOR: SIMON FENTON PARTNERSHIP
• PROJECT MANAGER: URBAN SPLASH
• BRIEF CONSULTANT: SHEDKM
• CONTRACTOR: URBAN SPLASH BUILD

Building Data

• COMPLETED: OCTOBER 2006
• NET: 32,051 m²
• GROSS: 38,834 m²
• EFFICIENCY: 83%
• FLOORS: 7
• COST: £50,000,000

Built in 1917, the six-storey Fort Dunlop had become an iconic but troublesome behemoth by the turn of the century, surrounded, in Urban Splash’s own words, by ‘a deserted, crumbling wasteland’. A number of key decisions taken by the developer, with architects ShedKM, lie at the core of this ambitious project:

• the floor plates were, indeed, too large for hotel accommodation so a narrower wing would have to be built to attract visitors and create an income early on in the project
• construction would be phased to bring in tenants on a gradual basis
• large openings would be carved through the floor plates to bring light down into the central atrium
• the building’s grid would be preserved and used as a way of easily subdividing space for all manner of tenants

  

  Fort Dunlop Was Built to A Structural Grid of 5.2 m. Many Felt The Forest of Columns Would Be Problematic, But They Assist in the Easy Subdivision of Spaces and Remind Occupants of the Provenance of the Building.
  

  © Daniel Hopkinson Photography

• concrete soffits would remain exposed as a constant reminder of the building’s provenance, while preserving the generous floor-to-ceiling heights and taking advantage of the building’s thermal mass
• raised floors would be installed, under which all power, heating and ventilation would be delivered
• the original windows would not be replaced but left open – instead, a new glazing line would be introduced behind the facade, providing space for services to be installed without being on view.

It is also worth noting that Urban Splash was the contractor on the job, as well as property agent and building manager. During construction, the build and letting teams worked closely together, enabling site visits to be arranged easily and tenant needs to be considered as work progressed. The developer still owns and manages the building. The coordinated approach (assisted by a funky image) caused even Urban Splash to be surprised by the demand for space. Construction began in October 2004; phase 1, including all structural works, ground floor spaces and the hotel, were completed by December 2006, and the intention was to open the 32,000 m² (net) building floor by floor over a three-year period culminating in December 2009. In fact, the building, which cost £50 million to reinvent, was fully let by March 2008.

Comparison of Floorplate Configuration Pre and Post Developments. The Key Difference is the Light Well that has Been Sunk in the Centre of the Structure.

© Urban Splash

The fundamental organisational approach is simple – a central service core runs through the building as a spine, which extends beyond the 130 m-long Fort Dunlop to form the dimensions of the 100-room Travelodge hotel. Circular openings were cut through all six floors and lined with steel drums, giving the building a dramatic, light-filled space right in its middle. The sixth floor was entirely remade and sits atop the Fort as a penthouse structure, where the 5.2 m grid does not apply. The north-eastern facade was demolished (and recycled in the making of the car park) and replaced with an entirely glazed facade from which the hotel projects. Shops, cafes and a childcare centre occupy the ground floor, with offices above. A sedum roof and occupant barbecue area (equipped with fridges and binoculars) is a further amenity in what Urban Splash calls ‘a 24-hour destination for business, retail and enterprise’.

Owned, Developed and Managed by Urban Splash, Fort Dunlop has Proven to be A Considerable Business Success. In the Period january To march 2007, 10,034 m² of the Building Was LET, Compared With 11,985 m² in the Whole of Birmingham City Centre.

© Ben Blackall

Underlying the success of the building is the fact that there is no mistaking where you are. No attempt has been made to mask the original fabric – the steel-framed concrete-covered structure is very much in evidence. In fact, the forest of columns has proven rather popular – as well as assisting in the easy subdivision of the space, occupants apparently like them for the character and sense of perspective they bring to the building. ‘We lost count of how many “expert” property people told us that it was too big and that there were too many columns in the space for it to work,’ said the developers. What Urban Splash purchased in 2002 was an incredibly robust building which could take some bashing about. Tenants occupying multiple floors have been able to cut through and add staircases without problems.

Fort Dunlop is A 100-Room Hotel, Which Emerges from the Spine/Core of the Building. It is an Important Part of the Project’s 24-Hour Programme. The Rendered Spine also Provides A 170 m Long Roof Terrace.

© Daniel Hopkinson Photography

‘The renovation demonstrates a rare social and economic awareness,’ said the BCO. ‘It has been successful in attracting occupiers, and provides a wake-up call to more conventional established offices.’