Designed by Stephen George + Partners LLP (SGP) and built by main contractor Wates Construction, the  £22 million office development at LUSEP began in February 2019. The four-story building was completed at the end of 2020 and now serves as headquarters for The Access Group software company.

With sustainable construction at its core, the building features Technal-brand aluminium curtain walling made from Hydro CIRCAL, which uses a minimum of 75% post-consumer recycled aluminium.

Technal’s sustainable building solution reduced the carbon footprint of the office development by 146.98 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents, compared with the European aluminium average. This figure represents the electricity use of about 25 homes for one year, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Greenhouse Gas Equivalency Calculator.

Aluminium building systems provide optimal energy efficiency

Designed around a central core with a linking wing on both sides, TECHNAL MX Grid curtain wall spans the building vertically. The facade also incorporates TECHNAL FY65 casement windows, and Stormframe STII doors.

For optimal energy efficiency, the windows and curtain walling needed to meet specific performance requirements, including a specified area weighted average U-value of 1.4W/m²K with G-values of 0.4 and 0.3. TECHNAL MX curtain wall is designed for thermal efficiency, offering an integrated thermal break, which, when combined with high-performance glazing, means these values are achieved.

The result? Lower energy consumption for heating, lighting, ventilation and air conditioning.

A shared vision regarding sustainability

The building’s construction brief outlined a BREEAM Very Good rating. One of the keys toward achieving this was to ensure that all parties involved in the project had a shared vision with regard to sustainability.

“Our MX curtain walling was already offered, but that we also proposed it in the Hydro CIRCAL aluminium alloy was an added benefit at no additional cost,” says Technal project consultant Dean Sherwood.

“Operating the most advanced recycling technology in the industry allows us to provide the highest recycled content aluminium in the market. Hydro CIRCAL is premium aluminium that contains a minimum of 75% post-consumer scrap, and the LUSEP project is one of the first to use it in the UK.”