Developer claims Sheppard Robson-designed scheme is greenest of its kind in UK

Bruntwood has been granted planning permission for a new £31m mass timber office in Greater Manchester. 

The developer claims that the so-called Ev0 Building, set to be built at Didsbury Technology Park in the south of the city, will be the country’s most operationally efficient new build workspace. 

Ev0 Building by Sheppard Robson_credit Our Studio (1)

As well as the highest NABERS rating, the scheme aims to meet LETI 2020 targets for upfront carbon and RIBA 2025 targets for whole life carbon

It predicts the running costs of the scheme, designed by Sheppard Robson and which will deliver more than 80,000 sq ft of office space over six floors, will be 58% lower than a traditional new build, with a targeted 5.5 NABERS rating – the highest in use. 

According to Bruntwood, the building’s mass timber frame will capture and store more than 4,000 tonnes of carbon over its lifetime, the equivalent of 2,500 return flights between Manchester and New York. 

Up to 94% of its energy will be generated by photovoltaics and the remainder will be supplied by the developer’s co-operative wind farm in Ayrshire, Scotland. 

The building’s façade includes parametric design principles to minimise solar gain and overheating on the south and westerly elevations and maximise solar gain on the north and east elevations. 

The project team includes engineering consultant Ramboll, QS Turner & Townsend and project management specialist Ward Williams Associates. 

Work on site is expected to begin this autumn and complete late next year.