Bruntwood Works unveils £30m super-green Didsbury office
The developer claims Ev0, an 82,000 sq ft timber-framed building at Didsbury Technology Park, will be one of the most sustainable workspaces in the UK.
Designed by Sheppard Robson, Bruntwood Works’ £30m, six-storey office will aim for the highest standards of sustainability, both during construction and in operation, the developer said.
Ev0 is targeting a 5.5-star NABERS rating and an ‘Excellent’ certification from BREEAM. The scheme aims to serve as a blueprint for other developers hoping to deliver net zero carbon workspaces, according to Bruntwood.
In addition, Ev0 aims to meet the LETI 2020 design target for upfront carbon, the RIBA 2025 performance targets on whole-life carbon and the UK Green Building Council’s Paris Proof operational energy use targets.
- Scroll down for more information about Ev0’s green credentials
The facade is designed to minimise solar gain and overheating on the south and westerly elevations and to maximise solar gain on the north and east elevations.
Once complete, Bruntwood aims to generate 94% of the energy required to operate the building on site. The remaining energy requirement will be fulfilled by Bruntwood’s recently acquired wind farm in Ayrshire, the company said.
A consultation on the scheme is due to open today and a planning application is expected this summer. Subject to planning approval, construction is due to begin in January, with completion slated for April 2024.
“Sustainability runs through the heart of everything we do at Bruntwood Works and the development of Ev0 will be a major milestone on our net zero journey,” said Ciara Keeling, chief executive at Bruntwood Works.
Once complete, Bruntwood aims to generate 94% of the energy required to operate the building on site. Credit: via Citypress
“Now, more than ever, it’s important for businesses to be taking affirmative action to reduce their carbon footprint. That also means being fully transparent when it comes to presenting data and assessments, so it was important to us to create an authentically net zero carbon workspace.”
The office will be constructed on land between the for-sale Sir William Siemens House, and Spire Bruntwood Works’ Ohm Building at Didsbury Technology Park.
As well as architect Sheppard Robson, the project team comprises Deloitte as planning consultant and MEP, structural and sustainability consultants Ramboll.
JLL and CBRE will act as agents for the building.
To hear more about the project, listen to Place North West’s COP26 podcast with Bruntwood Works.
Andrew Butterworth, commercial director at Bruntwood Works, said: “As a leader in its field, Ev0 will help those businesses using the workspace to achieve their own net zero carbon goals and serve as a blueprint and inspiration for others to follow in their sustainability plans.
“The Ev0 Building will provide a completely unique workspace offering to businesses in the North West and the UK, and the opportunity to work in the established Didsbury Technology Park community, which is already home to a number of leading brands.”
Bruntwood Works provided the following information on Ev0’s sustainability credentials:
- The upfront carbon used in the construction of the development is currently calculated at 124 kgC02e/m2 (GIA) when taking carbon sequestration into account. Without taking sequestration into account the amount of carbon used is currently calculated at 516 kgCO2e/m2 (GIA) which is 14% lower than the 2020 LETI design target of 600kgCO2e/M2 and c.65% lower than the RIBA Business as Usual Target of 1400 kgCO2e/m2 (GIA).
- The Whole Life Carbon assessment for the development is currently calculated at 871 kgC02e/m2 (GIA), this is below the RIBA 2025 target of 970 kgC02e/m2 (GIA), with the ambition of meeting RIBA 2030 target of 750 kgC02e/m2 (GIA) during design development.
- The base building operational energy use has been calculated at 28kWh/m2/year (GIA), which is slightly below the UKGBC’s Paris Proof Target of 30 kWh/m2/year (GIA). Tenant energy has been assumed at 35kWh/m2/year (NLA) in line with the UKGBC’s Paris Proof Target, giving a whole building energy intensity of 54kWh/m2/year (GIA), again slightly below the UKGBC’s Paris Proof Target of 55kWh/m2/year (GIA). All of the above does not take into account any contribution from onsite generation.
- If the onsite generation is included, i.e. if only energy demand imported from the grid is assessed, the operational energy demand for the building is calculated at 5 kWh/m2/year (GIA) (UKGBC Paris Proof 2035-2050 target of 55 kWh/m2 (GIA)). The remaining energy demand of the building will be met by green energy generated by Bruntwood’s cooperative owned wind farm.
Better than working in town
By Cal
Well done Bruntwood, taking the lead. Other developers needs to follow fast.
By Derek
But I thought offices weren’t needed anymore? Oh well.
By Anonymous
@Cal – Well that’s the beauty of Manchester mate. It’s got large both out of town and city centre office markets.
By Bob
Bruntwood continue to impress. @Derek other sustainable developments are happening elsewhere in the city from Legal & General, Muse, Ask and HBD
By Andrew
A huge well done to Bruntwood for publishing the design carbon figures. No more greenwashing – tell everyone exactly what you expect to achieve, and publish the as built figures at the end.
Note that they have – as per best practice – reported the actual embodied carbon separately from the lower figure accounting for sequestration.
The article says that “Once complete, Bruntwood aims to generate 94% of the energy required to operate the building on site.” but the EUI figure remains 54 kWh/m2/year regardless of whether onsite generation is included – is this a typo, or is the on site generation (presumably heat pumps and PVs) not yet confirmed happening?
By W
Hi W. Having contacted Bruntwood about this they have identified a typo in the info sent over. The paragraph should read as follows:
In line with the UKGBC guidelines on calculating operational carbon we have excluded on site generation from our reported figures, however the strategy for the site has always been to maximise on site energy generation, and based on calculations as outlined above the development will have 94% of the total building energy demand generated on site. If the onsite generation is included, i.e. if only energy demand imported from the grid is assessed, the operational energy demand for the building is calculated at 5 kWh/m2/year (GIA) (UKGBC Paris Proof 2035-2050 target of 55 kWh/m2 (GIA)). The remaining energy demand of the building will be met by green energy generated by Bruntwood’s cooperative owned wind farm. Making this a truly green and sustainable building which sets the standard for sustainable developments going forward.
I hope this helps. Best wishes, Dan
By Dan Whelan
We are all working from home thank you
Kit it out for ‘influencers’
By Smiley
Great to see developments such as this taking off in Manchester. I would be interested to know whether the timber framing and slabs are to be fully encapsulated with fire resistant covering, or whether a performance based fire engineered solution justifying resistance to burn out etc. is the preferred route to compliance.
By Jack
Is it sustainable for commercial buildings like this one to have it’s own hydrogen generating plant or should a group of buildings consider sharing a dedicated hydrogen manufacturing plant ?
By Paul griffiths
If its anything thing like the base building in Hulme there will be no cycle use
By Andy wigley