A London office building in the heart of St James’s has been recognised with a landmark double-certification. The Marq, a development from The Crown Estate, has become the first new-build project in the UK to achieve both a BREEAM New Construction Outstanding rating for its shell and core and the
Industrial space has been boosted in Liverpool with the completion of the third phase of development at Stonebridge Business Park. Caddick Construction delivered the six-month project on behalf of St Modwen, which included the delivery of a further 52,000 sq ft of industrial space at the 30-acre site. Ian Threadgold,
Heat recovery systems, sometimes called Mechanical Ventilation and Heat Recovery (MVHR) systems, are an alternative to traditional central heating units that rely on a water boiler and radiators. They use a system of ventilation ducts to draw stale and moist air out of a home or office and replace it
A London office building in the heart of St James’s has been recognised with a landmark double-certification. The Marq, a development from The Crown Estate, has become the first new-build project in the UK to achieve both a BREEAM New Construction Outstanding rating for its shell and core and the WELL Gold Certification. Designed by John McAslan and Partners/Rolfe Judd, The Marq is a 46,000 sq ft building offering six floors of modern office space and two flagship retail and restaurant spaces on the ground floor. It is the first completely new build office building to be delivered in the St James’s neighbourhood since St James’s Market in 2017. This BREEAM Outstanding certification for its shell and core places The Marq within the top one per cent of UK new non-domestic buildings, positioning it as an innovator. With its WELL Gold Certification, The Marq is just one of six projects – five Gold certifications, and one Platinum certification – in the UK to achieve this standard. Simon Perks, Senior Development Manager at The Crown Estate, said: “The Marq’s double-certification demonstrates our commitment to creating places which nurture people’s health and wellbeing. To achieve these standards, we’ve sought to embrace innovation throughout the design process and in doing so set a new standard for best practice on future projects.” The Crown Estate worked together with Skanska to adopt a holistic approach to sustainability and wellbeing at The Marq ensuring both were integrated throughout the design process. This delivered a building of an exceptionally high standard that supports the health and wellness of the people that work in and visit it. Key features include exceptional indoor air quality and access to natural light, as well as optimised indoor lighting and responsive heating which can be tailored to individual needs without adjusting overall temperatures. The building reduces its impact on the environment by using a combination of photovoltaic panels, solar thermal water heating and air source heat pumps, to provide 14 per cent of the energy demand for the building. The team used building information modelling (BIM), to design the air handling unit and ductwork systems that pressurises the reception area. Richard Kirkpatrick, Project Director, explained: “The team excelled themselves with their engagement with the WELL Gold certification and it meant that the stringent requirements were met. This included the supply chain working with us, which was paramount when we selected and procured the low volatile organic compound materials. All the materials that needed to meet the standard were identified and checked for their levels of air emissions before being purchased and delivered to site. This means the air quality in the building is kept to exceptionally high standards.”
Industrial space has been boosted in Liverpool with the completion of the third phase of development at Stonebridge Business Park. Caddick Construction delivered the six-month project on behalf of St Modwen, which included the delivery of a further 52,000 sq ft of industrial space at the 30-acre site. Ian Threadgold, head of Caddick Construction’s North West office, said: “We have a successful, long standing relationship with St Modwen, having delivered earlier phases at Stonebridge Business Park and a retail park at Great Homer Street in Liverpool. This latest Design and Build scheme at Stonebridge is providing a further boost to the local economy in this prime location.” Stuart Murray, development director at St Modwen added: “Stonebridge Business Park is a key strategic site in the north west and plays an important role in the region. “The scheme has attracted some major players in the logistics sector due to its ideal location and we’re confident that the site will continue to be of interest to high-calibre tenants who are looking for flexible, quality space.”
Heat recovery systems, sometimes called Mechanical Ventilation and Heat Recovery (MVHR) systems, are an alternative to traditional central heating units that rely on a water boiler and radiators. They use a system of ventilation ducts to draw stale and moist air out of a home or office and replace it with fresh, dry air. While doing this they recover the heat from the stale air using a heat exchanger and uses the excess heat that would normally be lost to warm the fresh air drawn from the outside. These systems have become incredibly popular with home builders and renovators as they are an environmentally friendly and economically sound way to heat a space without relying on expensive and polluting fuels like natural gas. How Do Heat Recovery Systems Work? Heat recovery systems have a central ventilation unit that is usually located in the attic or roof space of a home or office, or in the plant room of a larger space such as a factory or hotel. The heat recovery system has separate ducts for expelling stale and moist air out of the building and drawing in fresh air from the outside. The heat from the air is recovered from the old air before it is expelled and transferred to the fresh, incoming air by using a heat exchanger built into the ventilation unit. The incoming and outgoing flows of air never mix, only the heat from one is transferred to the other, preventing particulates, dust and scents contaminating the fresh air from outside. This can be a very economical and environmentally conscious way to heat homes and offices. What are the Benefits of a Heat Recovery System? Heat recovery systems are great at saving money, and the planet, by using less energy and running off mains electricity rather than natural gas. They can retain up to 95% of the heat in a home, while also providing fresh, clean, filtered air. This can reduce the need for extractor fans in kitchens and bathrooms, as the air in your home is constantly circulated and refreshed by the heat recovery system. The fresh air is not only heated, but also filtered. This means it is free of many of the harmful particulates that can affect asthma sufferers and people with respiratory problems. Are They Complicated to Install? The installation and operation of heat recovery systems is actually very simple and quick to perform, and often less intrusive and disruptive than installing a traditional home heating system. Though a 21st century technology, there are many companies that have a lot of experience in designing and installing heat recovery systems for homes and offices. At BPCventilation.com there is a comprehensive consultancy service that can help any homebuilder, owner, or renovator tailor a heat recovery system to suit their space and can install it for them. More and more homes and businesses are having heat recovery systems installed to replace aging water boilers that are expensive to run and maintain. Heat recovery systems are a much more economical way to warm a space, and the money saved helps the systems pay for themselves very quickly.
