UK HYDROGRAPHIC OFFICE, TAUNTON
Thermal comfort models were undertaken by Hydrock to ensure that this ventilation strategy was sufficient to meet current and future climate demands, while meeting workers’ wellness needs. Chris Bowie-Hill, technical director at Hydrock, says that this adoption, “with the headquarters prioritising the wellbeing of the staff,” has enabled the building’s users to “be in control of their environment and access to fresh air on demand.” This is exemplified in the Building Management System which controls the opening and closing of the top half of every window in the building, with occupiers able to control the opening of the bottom half to give them an immediate sense of control over their environment – while the overall temperature of the building remains automated.
Copious amounts of natural daylighting compliments this ventilation, owed to the porous atrium and the 3.5 metre floor to ceiling heights, which both allow for significant levels of glazing, helping to reduce the need for artificial lighting. Another aspect of wellbeing particularly important in an office space is noise distractions. The sinuous larch clad baffles hanging from the atrium roof – atria being areas that attract echo – are key in providing acoustic absorption. According to Hydrock, the acoustic design allows the workers to be able to comfortably speak at a normal volume throughout the open plan office environment. Alongside this – the baffles being an integral part of the passive environmental design – they also eliminate glare to the offices below by diffusing low angle sun.
As a result of the services strategy employed, the sustainable, low energy operation of the building means that the costs for installing, operating and maintaining fans, pumps and chillers were significantly reduced. This is helping to push the building’s standards, with the project being on course to achieve BREEAM Excellent.
The project is also following the Government’s Soft Landings (GLS) process, which provides a post-handover period to enable the UKHO to get the best out of its building and optimise environmental systems for both the building’s expenses, and the workers’ wellbeing.
The GSL process is beneficial because, while moving into a custom built structure should be a great experience, far too often there is a large gap between what the client expects of a building and the end product.
ADF AUGUST 2019
The Government process promotes early engagement, providing a framework from ‘before the beginning,’ where a construction project can fulfil a need, right up to annual post occupancy evaluations for three years after occupation to ensure the end users’ needs are being met.
Strong reception
The project has been extremely well received by the wider community, including achieving the RIBA South West Award 2019, the RIBA South West Sustainability Award 2019, and the RIBA Awards South West 2019 Winner of the Commercial Category. The building’s users, too, have been vocal in their approval. Jo Funnell, new build project manager at UK Hydrographic Office, for example, lauds the project team’s work: “I am delighted with the outcome of the project and the standard of the building. The collaboration between all parties has been the key to the project’s success. “The new environment will support smarter ways of working at the UKHO, using new technology and modern office practices, which is hugely exciting for our business. The design and quality of the building is something we can all be very proud of having delivered in Taunton.” With critics and users happy with the building, the AHR’s designs are set to provide a significant legacy for the UK Hydrographic Office – not just in terms of a striking and fluid use of timber and brick, nor its porosity or heavy focus on wellbeing, but in its role as an exemplar in how offices can be run; it is open, engaging, comfortable, and even inspirational.
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AWARDS The project has won several RIBA awards since its completion at the start of 2019
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