PROJECT OVERVIEW

This £10.4m office building in Carlisle, is the new headquarter offices for Cumbria County Council, and will form an essential component in the council’s transformation.

The aspiration of the Council was to occupy a building which is sustainable, and integrates passive design, low energy technologies and reduced maintenance requirements. In response the primary focus of the design of the building, and the associated MEP services installations was to maximise natural ventilation, natural day lighting, minimise heat gains within the building and incorporate renewable and low energy technologies in order to reduce energy consumption and the associated production of carbon dioxide.

The building services installations contribute to the overall sustainability of the building by incorporating renewable, low energy systems and sustainable technologies such as;
• Natural/Mixed Mode Ventilation
• Variable Refrigerant Flow simultaneous sheeting & cooling systems to cellular spaces
• Free cooling using outside air
• Night time cooling
• LED lighting technology
• Rainwater harvesting to serve flushing cisterns
• Roof mounted photovoltaics

The mechanical and electrical services are designed to maximise flexibility of the open plan office space and to facilitate the possible future sub division of the office area.