Temple Quay House
1. Introduction
1.1 In March 1998 Stride Treglown Architects were approached by Castlemore Securities to help respond to an OJEC notice published in the European Journal. It was for the provision of new office space for the relocation of the DETR from their existing premises at Tollgate House Bristol and Gaunts House Bristol.
1.2 A number of developer teams responded to this notice and with the help of Ridge Project Management and King Sturge, advisors to the DETR, seven sites were short-listed including the site at Temple Quay . Following a lengthy selection procedure it was announced that the DETR had chosen the site at Temple Quay .
2. Temple Quay
2.1 Temple Quay consists of 23 acres of brown field redevelopment land adjacent to Temple Meads Station. Former marshalling yards, in more recent years they had become a mixture of warehouses and light industrial buildings. As an area of redevelopment it offered unparalleled opportunities for transport links with both major bus and train interchange nodes.
3. Design Brief
3.1 A major factor in the design for the DETRs new building would be its green credentials. The brief set for the designers was to provide the highest quality office environment whilst delivering the lowest energy consumption levels. Three main areas of major energy consumption were identified:
- Lighting
- Heating
- Cooling
3.2 The design team’s aim was to demonstrate to the DETR how a building could be provided that could deliver energy consumption levels of approximately half that of a traditional air-conditioned building. The design process in detail was undertaken in a central design studio hired by the team, and independent from their usual offices. This co location office was occupied by the Architect as lead consultant, with Mechanical and Electrical Engineers and Structural Engineers, in addition a Quantity Surveyor and Project Manager provided cost advice.
3.3 The reason for doing this was basically two fold, it allowed the design team to concentrate on a single design and ensure it was fully co-ordinated by all those involved. It also speeded up the whole process to enable the team to design, build and commission the office by March 2001.
3.4 The picture above shows the essence of the design which is a concrete frame construction, which is exposed internally to act as a heat sink. The structure is designed to absorb the heat from every day use. Then at night when the building is empty, small opening vents in the façade automatically open and allow cool night air to purge the structure. This free cooling can account for several degrees difference in the office temperature during the following day.
4. Office Accommodation
4.1 The office accommodation is arranged around a central atrium. This is a fundamental part of the environmental strategy allowing the warmed air from the office areas, heated by the occupants and their equipment, to be discharged into the atrium, and then via the stack effect exhausted at high level. Linked to this simple model is the ability for the staff to open the windows, which in itself is unusual in modern office buildings, particularly ones in city centre locations.
4.2 This can be achieved by locating the new building at the heart of Temple Quay and using the surrounding developments to acoustically screen this building from the roads and rail links. The ability to open windows gives staff the opportunity to alter their environment this helps to provide a sense of ownership and control. This has been proven to result in greater satisfaction in employee’s workspace and less sick days.
