Our eco-office Church View has been shortlisted for the national Business Green Leaders Award: ‘Green Building Of The Year’.
We’re incredibly proud of boosst HQ at Church View. It took an almighty effort and seven years of planning, design & construction to bring Keith’s initial concept to life. Over that period the initial design naturally evolved – but the eco-friendly fundamentals of the project remained alive throughout.
Sustainability was at the forefront of every decision to ensure our home is future-proofed by design.
Some of the key design principles were:
- How can we use use responsibly sourced materials?
- How can we use renewable heat technologies to reduce energy usage?
- What design layout can be best adapted as the boosst team grows?
- How can we create a wildlife habitat that supports a wide range of plants, birds, insects and animals?
The outcome of this approach is a building and environment which we are very proud of. If you have already been able to visit us, you will have noticed the calm and relaxed environment we have created. We believe that tranquility is essential for clients to relax and discuss their perfect future lifestyle… which in turn gives us a clearer vision to aim for and the end outcome is a more engaging financial planning experience.
So how did we achieve a sustainable build? Here are some highlights in no particular order…
- A water source heat pump extracts thermal energy from the temperature differential of the lake water to provide a consistent source of heat to our underfloor heating system.This type of renewable system generates 6KW of heating per 1KW of energy used to power the heat pump.
- Electricity to run the heat pump and our IT system is provided by our solar array where sunshine allows… with a backup feed from the national grid for cloudy days!
- The canopy gives us solar shading to limit heat gain and we use natural ventilation to Coll the building, instead of an energy-draining air conditioning system.
- We opted to use Accoya wood for the main canopy. Accoya is FSC Certified (Forest Stewardship Council) and has achieved the C2C Gold standard (Cradle to Cradle). The sourcing and usage of our Accoya creates a negative carbon footprint across its lifespan. The wood grows fast enough to fully replenish twice within its 50 year lifecycle – enabling it to positively contribute to the planet in a fully circular economy.
- We planted 20 mature trees and around 800 plants to create colourful habitats suitable for the local wildlife.
- We used British craftsmen to ‘upcycle’ individual furniture pieces from discarded materials. Our conference room table is made from reused steel and timber scaffold boards – as well as an umbrella stand and coffee tables made from car parts.
- We dug the lake to a depth of 4m (13ft) to create a habitat for species which thrive in deeper waters.
- We have a Zip Tap for instant hot water and chilled drinking water – which completely removes the need for plastic bottles.
We’re pleased to say that the outcome is also a pretty good looking building! So much so, that we have had passers-by enquire if ‘the Spa is open today?”. If our office gets confused for a Spa, we’re confident we’ve achieve dour goal of a tranquil and planet-conscious environment!
Here is Church View:
And here is some of our (rather impressive) competition:
