Work is now well underway on Flourish Homes’ headquarters building in Wells.  The completed building will represent the culmination of several years’ work by the client and design team to create a new headquarters facility for the organisation to accommodate their staff and provide a centre for their tenants to visit.

The project goes beyond good practice in environmental terms.  The client’s aspiration was to reduce overall energy demands, whilst generating some of their energy requirement on site.  A combination of high thermal mass, natural ventilation and thermally tempered air from a ground source heat pump all assist in achieving this goal.

Work on the concrete superstructure which provides the thermal mass is starting this month, with final completion due in March 2011.

 

Lord Drayson, Minister of State for Science and Innovation, and founder of Powderject, officially opened Oxford Innovation’s new facility on 19 November 2009.

OI and MEPC hosted the event which attracted many of the region’s leading science entrepreneurs.  Lord Drayson spoke of the importance of science research to the UK and the conglomeration of high tech companies within the Oxford / Cambridge / London triangle.  His tour of the building included sampling the research work of some of the cutting edge companies who occupy the building.

Jo Willett of Oxford Innovation said,

‘The design and layout of the building provide an ideal Innovation Centre facility, with plenty of light and space to create opportunities for companies to interact.  Client companies particularly benefit from the flexibility of the space provided; it really provides a prestigious location for even the earliest stage company. Despite only being open since January 2009 there are already 31 companies in occupation or using the virtual offices and hot desk facilities.’

 

Stubbs Rich have recently completed work on a revolutionary building at Oxford University’s Begbroke Science Park. The University’s brief was for an economical laboratory building that would cost much less to build than most laboratories. Not only this, but it would also need to withstand frequent change - sometimes at short notice - and be able to accommodate many types of research programmes: a challenging brief perhaps, but one that Stubbs Rich’s value-driven ethos thrives on.

The success of the project has been recognised with the 2009 Constructing Excellence Value Award for London and the South East. Director John Rich says: “We are delighted to have received this particular award because it highlights our approach to every project that we engage with. We are focussed on designing buildings that deliver exceptional value to our clients. There is no place for ‘cheap and cheerful’ buildings in our thinking, we believe in ‘cheap and clever’ buildings.”

In response to the level of interest in this building, and our expertise in this area, we have produced a ten minute presentation film that explains the features and design of this special building. This can be viewed at:

www.stubbsrich.com/openbuildings

 

154 Milton Park was a tired industrial building from the 1970s that had had a variety of low-grade uses. MEPC approached Stubbs Rich to look at sustainable development options for the creation of flexible office / laboratory and production units. Taking into account the demands of a tight programme and tighter budget, we soon concluded that refurbishment would be the best option.

Our proposal included essential remedial works to the structural frame and concrete slab, and complete replacement of the envelope. This made sense in terms of economy, speed and responsible use of resources. The result internally and externally is an elegant, contemporary building, achieved at low cost and low environmental impact. The development has achieved a ‘Very Good BREEAM Industrial’ rating.

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Buildings 99 and 100 Milton Park have now been completed. These iconic buildings epitomise Stubbs Rich’s approach to the creation of desirable, flexible and efficient workplaces.

Building 99 is an Innovation Centre; a joint venture with Oxford Innovation, the UK’s leading operator of Innovation Centres. The purpose designed facility supports a range of start-up and growing biotech, technology and other innovative companies.

Stubbs Rich Associate Director, David Beckett, explains: “MEPC’s philosophy is to help companies maximise their potential by creating the ideal working environment. Our understanding of the workplace has ensured they achieve this with the Innovation Centre. The design reflects the changing face of working life, with flexibility a key factor. Appearance is also important; the elegant ‘floating box’ aesthetic was created with the confident use of striking materials and by projecting the upper two floors out from the brick plinth at ground level.“

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