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PROJECT REPORT: COMMERCIAL & WORKPLACE ENVIRONMENTS
artificial lighting.
as is ventilation (and VOC levels) in the workshops and print department. ‘Sit/stand’ desks have been included throughout, and there’s a fully equipped and private room for parents to express or feed their babies while at work.
Location & brand values The existing Compass House has been repurposed and incorporated into the new design, which O’Neill describes as a
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It was important to Joules that the outside spaces were viewed by staff as an extension of the workspace, and O’Neill says this is made feasible by “easy accessibility” of the areas. As well as maximising natural light and taking advantage of the views, the design “creates physical inside/outside connectivity,” he adds, achieved through the use of large glazed gables and full height glazing. The onsite cafe, which is run by a local business, offers healthy food options, utilising locally-sourced products and, in the future, onsite allotments. Purification systems are in place for potable water, and HVAC specifications reportedly “meet or exceed” British Council for Office (BCO) guidelines and environmental certification schemes. “Zonal temperature, humidity, and air quality is monitored for the highest possible comfort conditions,” adds O’Neill. Office area ventilation is demand-controlled to regulate rates and reduce CO2
levels,
“series of new interlocking barn structures revolving around a central atrium.” The external envelope of Compass House was upgraded, and a two-storey feature screen added to the south and west facades, providing a structure for climbing plants which continues to the interior. The building also underwent an internal refit. The barn structures were inspired by the British countryside. The tallest structure on the site – the east barn – was designed to serve as a landmark ‘signature’ building. “Using the local farmstead vernacular as a starting point for the visual aesthetic maximises appreciation of the surrounding countryside and creates a strong visual presence in Market Harborough,” O’Neill says.
The east barn also serves as a gateway into the campus, with the other buildings reduced in mass and scale. “We wanted to create a sense of gradual discovery on the journey from public highway to front door.” Each component ‘barn’ has its own character, created via individual scale, massing, materials, and finishes. “The individual treatment of each component building is an important device in breaking down the scale of the campus to a human scale and reflects the farmstead typology.” The central atrium was designed to “provide the feeling of being in the yard of a farmstead, enclosed and protected by the surrounding barns and other buildings,” O’Neill explains. “It connects to everyone
ADF NOVEMBER 2022
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