Sustainability Award Winner 2010
| Client | Ceredigion County Council |
| Contract Value | £16.5M (including Energy Centre) |
| Practical Completion | July 2009 |
| Project Manager | Ceredigion County Council |
| Architect | Powell Dobson, Cardiff / Ceredigion County Council |
| Quantity Surveyors | Ceredigion County Council |
| Mechanical & Electrical Engineers | Hore Lea, Cardiff / Atkins Global, Cardiff |
| Structural Engineer | Allan Smith – Capita Symonds |
| Clerk of Works | Ceredigion County Council |
| Planning Supervisor | Ceredigion County Council |
| Contractor | Willmott Dixon Construction, Cardiff / CMB Engineering, Cardiff |
The project was developed as part of Ceredigion County Council’s policy of rationalising their Property Asset Portfolio and providing better access to services and information for the County. The 7,273sqm (gross) office building accommodates up to 475 staff members in a primarily open plan office space.
The building design was developed to an environmentally driven brief and provides two mix-mode wings located either side of the full height central atrium. The steel structural frame supports exposed flat pre-cast concrete soffits providing passive environmental control, with cladding materials selected to respond to regional and sustainable requirements.
The client brief for the project included the following aspirations and requirements:
This gateway site was required to incorporate a landscape corridor and to take into account the context of existing domestic two and three storey buildings to the south and east, as well as the visual impact from distant views
The building form and construction materials were driven by a strong environmental emphasis to ensure the maximum passive environmental control was achieved.
The steel frame solution supports flat pre-cast concrete floor units that are exposed above suspended lighting/acoustic rafts. The north and south wing plan depths are such that natural ventilation can occur and be driven up through the central full height atrium space, with air exiting via BMS controlled louvres at high level. The bold and simple form has been articulated by the use of brise soleil combined with zinc and terracotta cladding.
The key environmental design considerations were:
Predominantly natural ventilation using both manually and automatically operated windows
The building design also addresses wider sustainable issues such as:
Throughout the design development process, extensive discussions were held with the Client Groups to ensure that the completed building would operate in a “user friendly” manner.
BREEAM Certification: The office building achieved a BREEAM Excellent Rating with a score of 73.7%. It was also the winner of the 2010 BREEAM Awards Wales.
A previously fragmented work force has been brought together to facilitate efficiencies and make connections between the six separate service departments working in the new building.
This was achieved by creating a communal, rather than territorial approach to the workplace. Staff collaboration and interaction comes naturally in the open plan environment. The cultural shift away from traditional local government ways of working have also enabled the Council to take full advantage of ICT developments and reduce the demand for storage, printers, and photocopiers.
Since moving to the new building in September 2009, there has been a unique bonding between staff and building. The central full height atrium, a ‘vertical street’, maximizes natural light and ventilation. It also provides views for staff and emphasises the bridge links that create important physical links and strengthen joint service delivery.
The building has been designed to allow free and easy access for all visitors and staff. The public reception area includes a ‘Changing Places’ toilet facility, one of only 8 in Wales.
