The Filwood Green Business Park was recognised as a ‘Champion’ pushing the boundaries for sustainable business by the 2degrees network on 15 July 2015.  This award is based on peer votes from over 5,000 professionals in the sustainability sector.

The idea of an environmentally-friendly, ‘green’ business park came from local residents during the development of the 20 year Knowle West Regeneration Framework.  A design team with strong environmental credentials were appointed to realise this ambition:

• CH2M Hill: Lead Consultant, Structural and Civil Engineer, Building Services Engineer, Sustainability and BREEAM, Acoustician
• Stride Treglown: Architect
• RSK: Ecologist
• Sweett Group: Quantity Surveyor, Project Manager.

A key focus for the design team was preventing the so-called ‘performance gap’ often found in this type of development, whereby buildings that are designed as low carbon emit significantly more carbon than planned when in operation.  To address this, measures include:

• Real-time displays of energy usage exhibited at reception and to the building tenants
• Provision of a tenants’ guide to explaining how services should be operated effectively
• Performance of the building will be monitored against pre-defined environmental benchmarks.

Designed to achieve a 40 per cent CO₂ reduction, saving an estimated 46 tonnes of CO2 annually (equivalent to 276 double decker buses).  This is a building that invests in Bristol’s future, with:

• High performance building materials to reduce energy demand by 30%
• Energy efficient services
• Extensive photovoltaic panels
• Low water use appliances and waterless urinals
• Sedum green roof
• Electric vehicle charging points
• Secure cycle storage, showers and drying room plus bicycle ‘spares’ kit on site
• Attractive landscaping

The business park welcomes all entrepreneurs with a modern, fully accessible work and meeting space:

• Level access
• Lift to upper floors
• Work Hub open for tenants events and meetings
• Hearing loop in the boardroom
• Generous disabled parking allocation
• Located on bus and cycling routes

The business park is well served by several travel options to give a range of choice to commuters. Help will be provided to tailor individual travel plans to tenants.

• Hengrove Bus Depot is immediately adjacent to the business park and has a variety of buses in service throughout the day.
• Dedicated pedestrian/cycle footway running along Hengrove Way, cycle parking for 28 cycles and showers with changing facilities.
• Electric car-charging points for two cars.

There are 2 dedicated EV charging points in the car park that are available to licensees, tenants and visitors, with marked parking bays in the centre of the car park.  Check that there is a small blue flashing light at the side of the charger which indicates that it is ready to charge. Please collect a token from Reception (cost £4.00 for 2 hours charge). We are not on the Source West card system.

Drivers with non-electric vehicles should not park in the dedicated EV charging bays.

The business park is visibly green with landscaping that reflects the original biodiversity of the site.

• A wildlife-friendly zone on the western edge of the site will be species rich and include a new pond.
• Native tree species are being planted along the frontage with Hengrove Way.
• A new habitat is being created with a sedum green roof on the office block.
• Planters in the car park area are used for local growing projects.
• The project has also made a financial contribution to Bristol’s Tree Pips initiative to involve primary age schoolchildren in learning about and planting 36,000 new trees across the city.

• Gigabit broadband and Wi-Fi installed
• Focus on sustainable business
• Supports flexible working, co-working and work life balance

All of these environmental measures ensured that Filwood Green Business Park achieved the BREEAM Outstanding environmental standard.  The design was Highly Commended at the BREEAM Awards in March 2014.  It was nominated again at Final Certificate in 2016 as it scored 93.08%, making it the second highest performing industrial building in the UK

BREEAM is an environmental assessment technique and rating system to measure the sustainability and energy efficiency of a building.

Properties are measured across a wide range of categories with criteria spanning energy use through to ecology.  All aspects of a building’s design are critically assessed, including factors like water use, waste, materials and management process.

BREEAM Outstanding is the highest accolade a new building can earn –  further cementing Bristol’s enviable reputation as the green capital of Europe.

George Ferguson, Mayor of Bristol, said: “Achieving BREEAM Outstanding fits our ambitions for Bristol as European Green Capital 2015, when the business park will open. The project sets the standard for future industrial developments in the city, and for the wider regeneration of South Bristol.

It will be the first BREEAM Outstanding development of its type in the South West, aimed at attracting the environmental sector and low carbon businesses that Bristol needs to take forward our vision for a greener, healthier and more sustainable city.”