New emergency response facility

Externally, the 1,360m2 new building is wrapped in profiled metal cladding, a contemporary interpretation of a traditional agricultural material, in keeping with the rural setting.

The first floor houses a large boardroom with kitchenette, as well as off-duty accommodation. Four bedrooms have access to a breakout lounge and gym, providing much-needed relaxation space for staff who may be on site for days at a time. Carefully positioned openings in the polycarbonate rainscreen facade frame key views to the staff wellbeing garden.

The BREEAM Excellent design uses circular economy principles, re-purposing an existing access road and retaining and reusing all excavated material on-site. The low-carbon building has been designed to minimise operational energy demand, primary energy consumption and CO2 emissions. The primary heating method is via low carbon air source heat pumps. Natural ventilation further reduces energy consumption. The large south facing roofscape will be fitted with a solar panel array to allow for onsite energy generation with less reliance on the grid.

The design enhances the site’s ecological value through the integration of native hedgerows, tree planting, and ornamental vegetation. A rich, verdant garden is broken down into a series of external ‘rooms’ offering a healthy breakout environment for staff, some of whom reside at the site for several days at a time.