PROJECT REPORT: COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS 25
Demolition and new build would have been the simplest solution, but Hayden was certain that retaining the original frame could work, and convinced the client
FINGERS
The L-shaped building has two fingers either side of a new circulation core; the architects adding a storey above the existing two
Demolition and new build would have been the simplest solution, but Hayden was certain that retention of the original frame could work and convinced the client. The decision was, he said, ‘cost neutral’. Having looked at all the negative elements, there were also a number of positives that the new design could exploit. Aztec 1000 is at one end of the Aztec
West business park, a 68 ha development on the outskirts of Bristol. It’s in South Gloucestershire, near to the M4 and M5 motorways, and next to the A38 trunk road. Development started in the early 1980s, at a time when good road transport was considered essential, and sustainable travel was not a major consideration. The name Aztec was believed to derive from ‘A to Z of technology’ and the scheme’s original role was as a science park. Some distinguished architects designed buildings there, including Nicholas Grimshaw, Michael Aukett, SOM and CZWG. In 2018, selected buildings on the site were listed. Evidently, Aztec 1000 was not a candidate. However, what it lacked in architectural pizzazz, it made up for in orientation and position. It sits at one end of the central zone of the park, encircled by
ADF JUNE 2024
a pedestrian path that is roughly the shape of a race track.
The building is beside a lake, with one wing looking out over it, providing potential for a pleasant outlook. Scott Brownrigg has made this part of its design, providing a terrace where occupants can look over the water.
The architect has tackled the problems, creating more and better space. It removed the lightweight roof and replaced it with a new floor structure for an additional floor and a stronger new roof. From two storeys, the building now has three, with the ability to site some plant plus solar panels on the roof.
Retaining the facades was not an
option. Modern day glass can be specified to have a far superior performance, and it was the design of the original facades, with their opening doors for ventilation, that proved unsuccessful in terms of usage, and resulted in the original introduction of air conditioning. The structural engineer, Curtins, looked at a variety of structural solutions to provide additional space for the client. These included extending upwards (on which it finally settled), as well as extending
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