Design and build of a state-of-the-art centre of excellence for construction innovation in Braintree achieving BREEAM Excellent standard.
What Did The Job Involve?
Beardwell were appointed by Braintree District Council to Design and Build this 21st Century Building – a £2.3m state-of-the-art centre of excellence for construction innovation. The two-storey hub consists of workshop and demonstration spaces, a technology lab and conference facilities.
Using off-site construction methods this building demonstrates a best-practice example of how modern-day building techniques can support construction and improve efficiency. This was initiated by the client and was translated by us into the completed design by our designers, Barker Associates.
Achieving BREEAM Excellent. The Building showcases sustainable development standards by looking at the building design and operation including management, energy, health and well-being, transport, water, materials, waste, land use, ecology and pollution.
Working with different sustainable materials and systems using a mixture of structural technologies required careful consideration of details and interfaces before work commenced.
What Were The Challenges?
The challenge for the whole team was to pick up on the stage 2 design already completed and to translate this into a final project that met the funding criteria of being Breeam Excellent. Many items had to be revisited to ensure that the final credits could be achieved. The design was altered and various aspects were incorporated to avoid disappointment. This was led by the direction provided by Edwin O’Connell, our appointed Breeam Sustainability Consultant.
Beardwell’s Added Value
From the outset, Beardwell supported by our appointed design team led design and developed construction techniques in partnership with all stakeholders to ensure we met the challenging targets set by the brief. We are extremely proud of the result a showcase of just how a true collaborative partnership can deliver even the most challenging of projects.
