INCA Case Study: Bourne Business Park

Background and Requirements

Located between Addlestone and Weybridge town centres, B100, Bourne Business Park’s iconic gateway building, provides 23,950 sq ft of completely refurbished space.

Complete with new M&E systems, showers and cycle facilities, a private roof terrace and courtyard landscaping, the building is set in a beautiful 15-acre landscaped park known as the ‘greener side of Heathrow’, includes numerous on-site facilities including a café and a gym, and is considered a best-in-class, self-contained office building.

At the planning and scoping stage of this new build project, SRE Bourne Limited identified that it would require an industry-leading partner with unrivalled knowledge in the construction sector and an unparalleled reputation for delivering outstanding, top-quality projects to help bring its ambitious vision to fruition.

K Systems was the obvious choice.

The new build project had a number of key requirements:

• A build which boasted impressive acoustic performance
• A build which boasted optimal energy efficiency
• A build with a fire-retardant façade due to the building’s proximity to residential areas
• A build which not only stood out aesthetically and architecturally, but also seamlessly complemented existing buildings within the business park

Having complete confidence in K Systems’ ability to achieve all of the above, SRE Bourne Limited appointed the EWI systems provider, alongside First Renderers Ltd, AreaSq Limited and TP Bennett, to lead on the new build project.

Solution, Specification and Results

As with all projects, K Systems conducted a comprehensive scoping process right at the outset, taking into account client requirements, project goals, budgets and timelines to ensure a specification could be identified which would not only tick the boxes of the key requirements but also deliver added value to the client.

After finalising the project scope, K Systems recommended a Direct Fix system, perfect for steel frame structures, with the industry-proven 180mm Mineral Wool insulation.

Direct Fix is an Agrément certified system which is more cost effective than cavity-containing EWI systems. Within this system the insulation can be directly fixed to the sheathed steel frame building structure, providing a much easier installation, saving labourers time and resources, subsequently reducing project cost requirements. K Systems supported the specification of this system with detailed U-value and condensation risk calculations to determine the expected performance of the façade and ensure the system design matched the requirements of the building.

Mineral Wool insulation provides exceptional performance with high levels of fire resistance and non-combustibility (the EWI system achieves an A2-s1, d0 classification). Additional benefits of Mineral Wool insulation include:

• Excellent environmental properties, containing no gases with Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP) or Global Warming Potential (GWP)
• Ease of cutting and installation
• Superior acoustic properties
• Unmatched breathability
• Resistance to the elements
• Futureproofing of the building as a comfortable and viable office space for years to come

This specification enabled K Systems to address the first three of four key requirements by SRE Bourne Limited:

• Energy efficiency
• Acoustic performance
• Fire safety rating

With the building structure addressed, K Systems’ focus turned to the finish and specifying a product which would pair perfectly with the EWI system and fulfil the requirements of the client. That resulted in a silicone thin-coat render finish being specified.

Silicone thin-coat renders are ready-to-use self-coloured renders, available in a variety of colours and textures. The specially formulated silicone finish features hydrophobic properties, which make these renders a low-maintenance finish option. This means they can retain their aesthetics over time and reduce the maintenance burden of the building owners.

By specifying this finish, K Systems not only enabled the complementary aesthetic required by the client, but it delivered added value by providing an extremely efficient and easy-to-apply finish for the teams to administer on site.

As part of continual project support, K Systems Site Surveyors were regularly on site, to provide a range of benefits to the client and installer. This includes providing on-site technical guidance to the installers and the opportunity for K Systems to evolve the system specification and design due to any new challenges discovered during the installation. Important for the client with the issuance of detailed reports from these visits, with photographic evidence of the installation and any guidance.

Challenges

During the construction of the B100 building in Bourne Business Park, there was a shortage of Mineral Wool across the EWI industry, which was causing procurement issues across the UK and Ireland, and having a significant impact on construction programmes.

Identifying this issue very early on in the Bourne project, K Systems put in place a rigorous purchasing and delivery schedule to avoid any issues. As a result, there were zero delays to an already tight construction schedule and the project was completed on time.

Another challenge seamlessly overcome by K Systems during the building project was the adverse weather conditions due to the time of year. Given the building required working at height, the challenging weather conditions could have caused delays and disruption, and posed health and safety concerns on site.

However, due to meticulous planning by the K Systems team, all works were completed in adherence to the highest safety protocols and there were no incidents or delays to the project, as a result.

Completed Project

The build of B100 in Bourne Business Park project is a shining example of a best-in-class high rise new build project by K Systems.

The aesthetically impressive building has a supreme architectural appearance which allows it to both stand out as a flagship building in the park but also complement existing buildings on site.

It delivers on exceptional energy efficiency with a U-Value of 0.18 W/m²K, well above industry standard, it provides impressive acoustic qualities, and a high fire safety rating – essentially fulfilling all the essential criteria for the client.
In addition to the above, the new build earned an EPC ‘A’ rating for energy performance and was awarded BREEAM Excellence status – due in part to K Systems’ specification and innate ability to deliver the highest quality construction.
Overall, B100 in Bourne Business Park would be worthy of the shortlist in the ‘Refurbishment – High Rise – EWI + Render / Traditional Finish above 11m’ category.

Testimonial

Kastriot Reka, Managing Director, First Renderers Ltd.

“It was a pleasure working with K Systems on the project. They were very responsive to our requests and provided all the specification and details to support our project. There were challenges along the way, such as material shortages, however, K Systems provided the assistance that we needed to ensure lead times were minimized, our clients were kept informed and specifications were adhered to. We received regular on-site inspections that satisfied the requirements of our client. Overall, a successful project that First Renderers were proud to be involved in.”