From the killing industry to one that brings a new lease of life. Tracy Edwards explores Urban Splash鈥檚 eco-friendly Imperial Tobacco revamp.

The former Imperial Tobacco headquarters on the outskirts of Bristol is benefiting from a health makeover. Developer Urban Splash is converting the dilapidated Grade II listed building into 358 luxury apartments and 1600 m2 of commercial space.

The dense office block was designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill in 1974. Its corten and concrete frame has a life of 800 years, yet it has stood derelict since 1991. Acanthus Ferguson Mann, architect of the revamp, is designing a new block as well as renovating the existing one, with the emphasis on green credentials.

The brief was for a carbon neutral or even positive building, and the project is in good hands. Atelier Ten, the m&e consultants, are at the forefront of low energy design.

When it comes to finding an m&e contractor who can install energy efficient underground heat pumps, however, the consultants will have their work cut out. Patrick Bellew, director of Atelier Ten, explains: 鈥淭he UK m&e contractor does not have a background in geothermal. We're going to have to develop a whole new industry to harness this technology.鈥�

To a large part, what contractors put in comes largely from the consultants and designers. 鈥淲e鈥檙e behind the times only so far as in we don鈥檛 have a developed infrastructure of geothermal installers, and we tend to look to Scandinavia and Germany where they鈥檝e been doing geothermal installations for many years,鈥� says Bellew. 鈥淧eople haven鈥檛 been designing it, therefore our construction industry hasn鈥檛 had to adapt to it. I鈥檓 sure it will over the next year or two.鈥�

The demand for low carbon solutions is rising rapidly, but for the moment, the m&e contractor generally has to partner with a specialist subcontractor who is used to doing either pipework in piling systems or putting pipework down boreholes. Beyond this stage, however, heat pump technology is reassuringly straighforward.

Bellew draws close parallels with how the industry is developing in the US. 鈥淚n the states that haven鈥檛 had it for long, geothermal is a more expensive initiative, but the prices are dropping quite quickly as companies move into the area and pick up the expertise,鈥� he explains. 鈥淪ome areas have a lack of knowledge base, but it develops fast. It鈥檚 not rocket science, it鈥檚 just a bit more complicated than putting in a chiller.鈥�

Atrium

A central atrium with a plastic ETFE roof will form the hub of the renovated structure, allowing natural light and ventilation into the heart of the building and acting as a buffer space. The atrium opens out onto the lake, allowing residents to indulge in a spot of fishing if they wish to.

Original frame

Reusing the existing structure was the first move towards sustainability. Patrick Bellew, managing director of Atelier Ten, explains: 鈥淭he amount of materials we are putting into the building are actually very small.鈥�
The glass fa莽ade presented a big challenge, but new Low-E double glazed panes with gas filling and selective coatings will minimise heat loss in the winter and maximise solar gain in the summer.

Wind turbine

Urban Splash intends to purchase electricity from renewable providers such as Ecotricity, and also plans to install between three and six funky XCO2 wind turbines, which are capable of producing a peak of 5-6 kW each. A proposal to integrate 500 m2 of thin film photovoltaic panels into the laminated glass balustrade on the south fa莽ade of the new block is also under development.

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Electrical and Mechanical Contractor