Woods Hardwick's Commercial team adds top green credentials to their awards.

BEDFORD, ENGLAND, November 18, 2010

As one of the UK's leading multi-disciplinary architectural practices, Woods Hardwick consistently strives to deliver sustainable designs and developments in terms of energy, housing and the environment. As testament to our commitment to this cause, we have now been awarded membership of the UK Green Building Council (UK-GBC) and Good Homes Alliance (GHA).

Committed to providing buildings that respond well to their environments, Woods Hardwick balance the many competing requirements of a project in order to minimise waste and reduce energy requirements, thus encouraging a sustainable development.

Due to the volume of waste that any business emits, finding sustainable solutions is particularly important in industrial and warehousing schemes, and office and retail developments. Many simple factors, such as efficient space planning, good daylighting and using the correct materials can have a huge bearing on the overall wastage of a site, but it's also still important to ensure an aesthetically-pleasing development. At Woods Hardwick, we aspire to achieve the full package of optimum sustainability within an attractive building, and our recent projects and associated accolades illustrate just that.

The brief for one of our Industrial projects, Wilstead Industrial Park, was to utilise latest technology to maximise energy efficiency, whilst ensuring both units were of a contemporary design. Our solution included photovoltaic roof panels to generate electricity, air source heat pumps for heating and cooling and solar shading louvers, all built into cladding systems combined with curtain walling. The result was a 'Very Good' BREEAM rating (BREEAM is the leading and most widely used environmental assessment method for buildings and sets the standard for best practice in sustainable design and environmental performance) and a very satisfied customer!

Our most recent office development project, the Partis Office for Routeco, also demanded an aesthetically-pleasing building with particular emphasis on high energy efficiency and sustainability. The end result was a multiple award-winning structurally-glazed atrium, a light and spacious reception and open plan and cellular office spaces, arranged to maximise use of natural daylight and ventilation. Not only was the building the second office building in Milton Keynes to achieve an 'Excellent' BREEAM rating, it was also shortlisted for the 2010 national BCO and RICS awards in the South East.

A particularly exciting and rewarding project within our Retail sector is the proposed development at Routeco Winterhill Retail Park of retail warehousing capable of flexible subdivision into a number of units. The brief being to integrate the additional warehousing with the existing retail buildings, with each unit having its own identity (including feature entrances matching the existing retail buildings). Emphasis has, once again, been placed upon high energy efficiency and sustainability, and we are delighted that the proposed development design has already achieved an 'Excellent' BREEAM rating.

Karl Myhill, Commercial Director at Woods Hardwick said, "we endeavour to incorporate cost effective, energy-saving features to help businesses reduce their carbon emissions and energy consumption, and our achievement of 'Very Good' and 'Excellent' BREEAM ratings reflects this. The aim now is for all BREEAM ratings to be 'excellent''.

At Woods Hardwick, we have always prided ourselves on our huge wealth of expertise and knowledge that enable us to provide successful, cost-effective solutions and excellent customer support. In the current era of climate change and its projected consequences, an architectural organisation must offer more; providing, and constantly improving, sustainable designs and developments are key for the future, and Woods Hardwick has the people, the expertise and the passion to deliver just that.

Our award-winning Commercial team (see our news page for details of our RICS award) are adept at finding solutions for any brief, and rise to a challenge. Whether you need advise on town planning, a site appraisal, feasibility study, master planning or full architectural scheme design that you can trust, contact us now for details on how we can help.

Woods Hardwick is one of the UK's leading multi-disciplinary architectural practices, delivering exceptional, sustainable designs within the residential and commercial arena. To find out more about our full range of services, go to our website http://www.woodshardwick.com or call us at (01234) 268862.