A new Swindon office development has been chosen by a leading energy supplier for its headquarters thanks to its excellent sustainability credentials.
Auckland House, which has been developed by BAM Properties on Lydiard Fields business park, is being let to RWE npower renewables Ltd.
Auckland House is one of the Swindon’s most environmentally friendly office buildings, offering prime office accommodation that surpasses current demands for energy efficiency. Its environmental footprint is clearly set out on its new Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), and is also reflected in its BREEAM “very good” rating.
Completed this year, Auckland House provides 36,496 sq ft of accommodation over three floors. RWE npower renewables has agreed a 10 year lease with a rent of £18.00 per sq ft.
GVA Grimley, acting jointly with Keningtons, represented BAM Properties in the negotiations. Swindon based Loveday and Loveday represented RWE npower renewables Ltd.
“BAM Properties’ development at Auckland House leads the way in creating a high standard of environmental footprint for office accommodation in the region,” comments Ben O’Connor of GVA Grimley.
“Many of the features included far exceed the minimum part L building requirements, and as such the energy savings that this generates are clear benefits for the new occupiers.
He adds, “Thanks to the features installed, we believe Auckland House will deliver its occupiers an effective 60% saving on energy consumption compared with a similar property built in 1990. The air conditioning alone represents a 25% higher efficiency rate than the minimum required under the present regulations.”
BAM has a 100% record of achieving “Very Good” or “Excellent” BREEAM ratings for over a decade, and places sustainable buildings at the heart of its business model.
Auckland House incorporates features such as high performance solar glass to reduce cooling requirements and energy consumption; high efficiency, Super Low NOx boilers to minimise both carbon and nitrous oxide emissions; highly efficient thermal wheel for ventilation, heat and cool recovery; and low water use sanitary fittings. On the outside surface water is being run off from car parking areas to surrounding water courses, and areas will be included in service zones for the recycling of waste.
Energy efficiency will be further enhanced during the fit-out by RWE npower renewables as the company is looking to install its own wind turbines and solar thermal system on site (subject to planning consent). The fit-out project itself is the first in the UK to use the SKA rating method for benchmarking the environmental performance of the outfit.
Auckland House is situated on Lydiard Fields Business Park, close to J16 of the M4.
