Swindon & Wiltshire News
Beard Construction undertakes £16 million transformation of Bristol office building
A landmark office building on one of Bristol’s most prominent – and logistically challenging – sites is being transformed and given a £16 million, bold new identity by Beard Construction.
Managed by V7, 100 Victoria Street will see its footprint extended five metres forward, as well as benefitting from the addition of two new floors.
The new building has been designed by AWW Architects.
Just a short walk from Bristol Temple Meads and facing onto the city’s newly designed Temple Gate, the transformation will see the building’s exterior completely rebuilt, changing from yellow brick to a sleek face of glass and terracotta panelling.
A combination of smooth and textured surfaces and a variety of window sizes will reflect the diversity of older buildings further along Victoria street.
Inside, the concrete frame of the old interior will be retained and exposed – blending with the new to improve the building’s thermal performance, air permeability and energy efficiency.
The building targets the BREEAM Outstanding environmental standard.
PV cells will provide onsite renewable energy and the new development’s heating will come from Bristol’s District Heat Network.
The network delivers affordable, low-carbon heat from a series of remote, renewable energy sources and is part of Bristol’s drive to be a carbon-neutral city by 2030.
The new office development will house a modern, high-quality workspace which promotes sustainability and the health and well-being of its occupants.
Extensive cycle storage, services and a repair facility is provided whilst the car parking has been largely replaced with spaces that promote green travel.
The site is not without its construction challenges and has playfully been described as “like building on a postage stamp” by one of the project managers. Despite these challenges, the project is on schedule to be delivered by September next year.
Swindon-headquartered Beard has made the site subject to the CLOCS standard to ensure that all traffic is routed in and out to the highest safety standards. New and waste materials are either delivered or removed as part of a rigorous Just In Time delivery and extraction schedule.
Scaffolding used earlier in the build is being kept on one of the empty floors ready for re-use.
Beard Bristol director Matt Cooper said: “Our reputation for adaptation and innovation to deliver high-quality buildings on demanding sites means that we have relished rising to the challenges of this project.
“The finished product will transform the view from and towards this prominent office development, as well as improve immeasurably the experience of working there.”
Dan Ross, senior development manager at V7, said: “We are renowned for repurposing traditional office buildings like 100 Victoria Street.
“This landmark site will be transformed into a dynamic, sustainable, service-led workplace.”
Image courtesy of AWW Architects
