Tag Archives: construction industry

Campus, Reading International

Work began on Campus, Reading International in June 2021. The scheme will offer 1,500 sq ft to 180,000 sq ft of extensively refurbished collaborative and community-focused office space. The project comprises the creation of a new reception and entrance archway, new building restaurant and workspace area, new gym, changing and cycling facilities, a yoga studio, a multi-function event space, a town hall facility and more to provide a market leading amenity and wellness provision.

 

Our clients, Alchemy Asset Management and Tristan Capital Partners, intend the building to be an exemplar of contemporary refurbishment and repositioning in the business park market. This is particularly important in a post Covid environment where ESG credentials and Wellness have come to the forefront. Campus will deliver a truly unique scheme that sets a benchmark for the future of offices.

 

Specifically, the market is now encouraging intentional office design to foster a culture of health and well-being for occupiers. Therefore, we can say that wellness in the workplace is becoming a rapidly emerging topic and there is a wider change in the way the industry is thinking about sustainability.

 

Campus, Reading International will target a WELL rating of ‘Platinum’, WELL Health-Safety certification, a BREEAM rating of ‘Excellent’ and a WiredScore rating of ‘Platinum’, as well as a displacement ventilation system, which will deliver the cleanest air and maximum air volumes post Covid.

 

The Displacement ventilation system reduces the amount of airborne contaminants in the environment because, unlike a traditional mixed-mode system, the displacement system supplies 100% fresh air at a low level and then extracts polluted air at a high level. There is no recirculation of the polluted air unlike, say, a 4 pipe system that only delivers about 20% fresh air. The displacement system also moves away from traditional fossil fuel combustion and towards a mechanical plant that is fully operational on electric power via heat pump technology and a green energy supply.

 

Throughout the project, the design team focused on circular economy principles to reduce waste and increase the reuse of materials. To date 98% of the waste from the construction works has been diverted from landfills.

 

A project goal was also to promote sustainable forms of transport and futureproof the building. The building will now have120 electrical vehicle chargers for both tenants and visitors and extensive cycling provision including bike storage, electric bike charging, drying facilities and showers.

 

The on-site 4,000 sq ft gym will have state of the art equipment and live as well as recorded classes for its members.  There is also a multifunctional space that will allow building occupants to hold catered meetings for internal and external purposes. There are no other buildings in the immediate market which offer landlord managed gym and wellness amenities to the scale of Campus.

 

Here are some fantastic photos of Campus, Reading International. It is a real privilege to work on this stunning building.

 

Material Shortages and Sustainable Solutions

The material shortages in the construction industry continue to worsen and according to the Office for National Statics (ONS), in July 2021 the cost of materials rose by 20%. This caused a decline in monthly construction output by 1.6% in July compared with June, falling to £13,660 million, and follows the 1.3% monthly decline in June 2021. The situation is likely to remain a problem for 6 to 9 more months, at least till the end of 2021, as the knock-on effects from Covid and Brexit remain evident.

 

Timber, roof tiles and cement heads are few of the list of materials in short supply while the demand is steeply increasing. From a wider perspective, the world’s consumption of raw materials is set to nearly double by 2060 as the global economy expands and living standards rise, which will cause twice the pressure on existing demand. According to an OECD report published in 2019, there will be 167 Gigatons of raw materials usage in the construction industry in 2060. To put that into context, one gigaton equates to 10,000 fully-loaded U.S. aircraft carriers!

 

The current market disruption could be an opportunity to help us drive  greener, cleaner, and more sustainable construction practices in the industry by forcing the use of recycled materials where possible. What further steps can be taken to mitigate the problems associated with the material shortage?

 

  1.  Planning well in advance
  2. Working closely with the supply chain and keeping in tight communication
  3. Discovering cheap and environmental substitute materials. Using services such as ENVIRONMATE (free leftover building materials marketplace)
  4. Allowing for longer lead times
  5. Sourcing locally
  6. Using reclaimed building materials, which can also be a solution to net zero government intentions. This would also avoid over reliance on Europe.
  7. Use recycled materials where possible
  8. Meeting British testing standards
  9. Refurbish buildings instead of demolition where possible

 

 

Daniel Gillespie, Director at Quartz Project Services shares his thoughts on how we can come up with sustainable ideas to help solve the material shortage problem.

“ We have and must start to think earlier and differently. At Quartz, we engage this process from inception, the ‘green agenda’ starts at the first meeting and stays a constant workflow through the duration of the development, occupation and life cycle costs. We are approaching schemes differently to be on point with the shift in the market conditions and demand. “

 

Digitalisation in the Construction Industry

UK lockdown has brought a great deal of change in every industry, including construction. Many construction companies and their workplaces have begun to consider new technological processes within digital and automated environments. This is not something new, however the widespread adaptation has become irreversible since the Covid-19 pandemic. As said by Hans Vestberg, “Disruption may be unprecedented, but things will never move so slowly again”.

 

 

For starters, a shift to remote working forced companies into using online software, particularly Cloud servers to maintain efficienct with effective communication channels given the forced lack of human interaction and hence face to face meetings. While we missed office life and believe nothing can truly replace interactions in person, it has brought a variety of opportunities and advantages for future working environments. We can frame it as shaping a new digital habit! Here is a small taste of the benefits seen:

 

  1. Increased efficiencies with real time, up-to-date information flows
  2. Enabled regular backups on web-based filling systems
  3. Increased data collection, supporting productivity and efficiency in the long run through analysis
  4. Greater focus on structural stability
  5. Adaptation of smart technologies
  6. Opportunity for a wider talent pool
  7. Improvised, new ideas

 

What lies ahead?

 

  1. The industry will become more data savvy, which is a big change for the construction industry that is typically traditional in it’s working approach.
  2. Construction professionals who understand new digital advancements and software’s will be in great demand.
  3. Technological advances could revolutionise almost all points of the construction cycle of a built asset, from conceptualisation to demolition.
  4. There will be an increase in the use of technology to lower a building’s carbon footprint and the use of resources and building models.
  5. By adopting new technologies, the construction industry will be dominated with mega-projects to build smart and sustainable cities.

Journey to Carbon Neutrality

 

Understanding and addressing the impact that we as a business create on the environment and society is of pressing importance. In order to fully understand and ultimately reduce our environmental impact, we have worked with RLJ Consulting to carry out a full Greenhouse Gas Inventory of Quartz’s business operations.

 

We are really pleased to begin this journey and have proudly covered scope 1, 2 and 3 for 2020 as a first step to become Carbon Neutral and in the future a Net Zero Carbon organisation. This is an important step in understanding the impact that Quartz has on the environment and provides a starting point to make improvements moving forward. The breakdown of the emitting activists associated with Quartz Project Services such as business travel are activities that are in the control of the business and are where improvements can be made.

 

Read here, all about the start of our carbon neutral journey: