A- rated Energy Performance Certificate building & Excellent BREEAM rating
NG Bailey hopes that its new central Scotland head office will be the envy of commercial property developers throughout the UK.
Although it is, in many ways, a typical office building, renewable and low carbon technologies have been employed throughout the building at Strathclyde Business Park to make it one of the most environmentally sound in the country, according to the engineering firm.
The 'green' design of Solais House (named after the Gaelic word for light), enabled it to achieve an A-rating on its Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) in addition to its 'excellent' BREEAM rating. And, as well as being good for the environment, the technologies that have been put in place will save NG Bailey £50,000 per year on running costs.
Ground Source Heat Pump
A Ground Source Heat Pump provides all of the heating for the building via radiators throughout without the use of a boiler, as well as cooling via chilled beams in a handful of rooms and underfloor to the main reception. The cooling is 'free cooling' - in other words, simply using groundwater via a heat exchanger without the need for the heat pump operation. The bore will be sized for full cooling of the building for future proofing.
Maximum Efficiency Lighting
With the open plan, light well and individual blind control, maximum daylight use will be linked to occupancy and daylight linking. NG Bailey has chosen to use the latest technology lamps and lighting (LED and high frequency fluorescent fittings) in the open plan areas, with digital addressable Dali dimming ballasts.
Solar Thermal Heating
Solar thermal heating will provide a good proportion of the domestic hot water all year round. Sun pipes and integrated powered extracts will light and ventilate the internal spaces, such as the toilets on the upper floors.
Intelligent Building Management System
Use of an IBMS (Intelligent Building Management System) will allow increased functionality at a reduced overall cost along with a lower energy output.
Photo Voltaic Glass
PV glazing installed as building integrated units will double up to provide shading to the south facing stair and entrance, as well as generating about 5kw. Optimising the glazing bars and pressure plates will increase output by ensuring a balanced load through each inverter and the minimum dummy panels.
Water Features
Even the building's innovative fountain feature is powered by PV technology, similar to that used in Africa for bore hole pumps. And in the West of Scotland, with its rainy climate, rainwater harvesting makes perfect sense too. This will be the first such rainwater harvesting system in use on the park.
No irrigation will be needed for planting, just a simple top up to the water feature. Finally, waterless urinals and Infrared (IR) censored taps will reduce water consumption further.
Acoustics
Acoustics and the need for speech privacy in the open plan areas have led to the use of an IBMS for white sound generation.