focus on slough What are the main features of the building?
The building offers 111,000 sq ft of flexible office space over five floors and features a double height reception with a business lounge and 4,300 sq ft restaurant/café that will spill out onto the pavement in front of the station, providing a new amenity for the public and improving the look and feel around the station.
On the fifth floor a 2,000 sq ft communal roof terrace will allow occupiers to socialise, collaborate or host events – offering views over Slough town centre and the surrounding countryside that are going to be the envy of other businesses. The building also features 100 car parking spaces with 10 electric car charging points, and 100 secure bicycle spaces and showers and lockers for the ever- growing number of workers who like to ride or run to work.
And it is also a ‘WELL building’ – what does that mean exactly?
We have registered for WELL Building certification through the international WELL Building Institute. This is aimed at creating buildings that have a positive impact on the employees’ health. It is a bit like a ‘nutritional label’ that outlines all the ingredients that go into making a building healthy for its inhabitants, covering things like air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort and mind. And it rates a building against those criteria.
So developing a WELL building means focusing on things like improving natural light and the quality of the air and those things in turn will help boost the productivity of workers in the building – and that of course is to the benefit of the occupying businesses. There are a number of projects in the UK that are now registered for the WELL Building standard but we are hopeful that we will be one of the first buildings to complete and achieve certification.
But as well as being healthy, The Porter Building is also green – it has been designed to a BREEAM sustainability target of ‘Very Good’ and features an atrium filled with plants and natural light that will create a flexible space for occupiers and visitors to enjoy. And this is also really good for the health of the inhabitants – research shows that biophilic design can reduce stress, enhance creativity and clarity of thought, as well as improve wellbeing.
And the ‘green’ aspect is reflected in the street art on the hoardings?
Yes, we love the hoardings. The Enchanted Forest scene is particularly apt as The Porter Building is designed to be an exemplar for sustainability and wellbeing. We’re not your usual development company and our intention was to bring a bit of magic to Slough.
Once complete, our developments are genuinely engaging and enjoyable places to work. Part of that comes from the way we design and build the buildings – and also the services in them, like the concierge services provided by Portico, who are problem solvers and will go the extra mile for occupiers – but another part comes from engaging with the local community. We wanted to engage with Lee Bofkin and his team at Global Street Art to bring that energy and enthusiasm to our development at the earliest possible stage.
theporterbuilding.com landid.co.uk 020 7495 9100
THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – THAMES VALLEY – APRIL 2017
businessmag.co.uk
17
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