Innovative office redevelopment’s accreditation a first for Gilbert-Ash
Leading construction and fit-out company, Gilbert-Ash, has welcomed confirmation its £29million office redevelopment on Manchester’s Great Bridgewater Street has been recognised as a ‘BREEAM Outstanding’ project.
BREEAM is an internationally recognised standard for sustainability and to achieve this rating, the developer, architects and engineers must think outside the box in order to create a truly sustainable project.
In the UK, less than 1% of registered non-domestic buildings have achieved a BREEAM Outstanding rating. This is the first Gilbert-Ash project to have received this accreditation.
Gilbert-Ash’s scope of works at the former warehouse site included the design and build redevelopment of an existing office building with the addition of two levels to form new CAT A office space over nine floors, including basement.
As the company continues its relentless drive to deliver generational projects, a number of innovative approaches were taken throughout the work on Havelock House to ensure the BREEAM Outstanding rating could be achieved.
From the outset, OMI Architects engaged with the BRE Green Guide and this engagement was followed through into the construction stage to ensure appropriately sourced products from the supply chain were selected.
A deep retrofit strategy, included the installation of an entirely new façade system, developed as the optimum solution through the use of a whole-life carbon option appraisal, ensuring that, through the utilisation of the existing structure, the project retained 2,000 CO2e of embodied carbon, the equivalent of planting 10,250 trees.
The offsite fabrication of the unitised façade reduced waste and shortened the construction time on site while the rainwater harvesting in the basement minimised the site’s water consumption.
Gilbert-Ash Managing Director, Ray Hutchinson said this rating is further evidence of the company’s ability to deliver stand-out iconic projects.
“At Gilbert-Ash we have delivered some of the UK and Ireland’s most iconic spaces and we are thrilled Havelock House is our first project to receive BREEAM Outstanding certification.
“Innovation, collaboration and determination are at the heart of everything we do and this recognition is thoroughly deserved.”
Gilbert-Ash Environmental, Social and Governance Lead, Michael Heron said everyone involved with the project is proud their efforts have been recognised in this manner.
He said: “Over the years, Gilbert-Ash has garnered a plethora of BREEAM Excellent and Very Good ratings but this is a new level for us.
“To achieve this BREEAM Outstanding recognition, we had to implement at least 10 minimum standards including an air quality plan, a building user guide, seasonal commissioning and the responsible sourcing of construction products.
“It would not have been possible to achieve this accreditation without early engagement by OMI Architects with the Green Guide. Implementing BREEAM Outstanding will ensure resource efficiency and lower maintenance and energy costs over the structure’s lifespan.”
Havelock House has been used in the UK Green Building Council document ‘Building the Case for Net Zero: Retrofitting Office Buildings’ and has achieved Wiredscore (Platinum) and NABERS 5* accreditation.
Gilbert-Ash has a unique approach to construction, fit-out and refurbishment based on the belief that great buildings come about through hard work, inspired innovation and genuine collaboration. It is also seeking to attract the industry’s best talent to deliver landmark projects.
To find out more about Gilbert-Ash visit www.gilbert-ash.com/careers
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