Talbot Road Offices, Blackpool
Overview
Blackpool Council occupies an area of the office space, enabling them to deliver many of their services to a population of 142,000 residents in a much more efficient way.
Further office space is available for let to third party use along with three ground floor retail units totalling a further 15,000 sqft and a further 5,000 sqft of office accommodation at ground floor level.
Once complete, the £220m Talbot Gateway scheme, which is set to transform the seaside town, will bring new retail, commercial and community space, along with parking and transport facilities.
144 Apprentice weeks created 
41/50 Considerate Constructors score 
100% Waste recycled 
827 Work opportunity weeks
Key Challenges
A key challenge of this project was managing the site in close adjacency to the sites of the three other Gateway contractors, Shepherd Construction, Balfour Beatty and Tolent. Each contractor was working on a part of the larger Gateway development all within 200 yards of each other.
There were a number of overlaps in terms of access, boundaries and scope of works meaning regular communication was imperative. We worked with the other contractors to schedule deliveries and coordinate access to the site.
Another key challenge was working in the middle of a busy town centre with tight site boundaries and a key arterial road through Blackpool, leaving us very little room for material storage.
We overcame this by renting land close to the site to store our materials and by carefully coordinating our deliveries.
Finally the weather could be challenge on this site, working so close to the sea sometimes meant strong winds and extreme weather conditions.
Added Value
Through an assessment of the BREEAM process we were able to achieve further credits than originally planned and achieved a BREEAM Excellent rating.
Our expert design team reviewed the proposals and were also able to offer an alternative inverted roof which provided a more robust roofing solution. Throughout the project we had close involvement with the local community and workforce, working Build Up and Blackpool and the Fylde College, employing and offering work experience to local people.
In 2012, we celebrated employment of the 100th person on the Blackpool Gateway scheme and we continued to provide apprenticeship opportunities through the Apprenticeship Training Association (ATA), The Skills Company.
Our KPI for waste management was exceeded with no waste sent to landfill.
Sustainability
The project’s aims for economic sustainability are balanced by its environmental credentials, ensuring that it becomes a scheme that reflects the principles of sustainability in every sense. The 126,000 sqft, BCO compliant office building, has achieved a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating and an EPC ‘A’ rating thanks to a number of environmental and energy saving features, including photo-voltaic panels, rainwater harvesting, LED lighting, brise soleil and extensive bicycle stores.
The BREEAM ‘Excellent’ specification includes 150 sqm of photo-voltaic panels on the roof and air source heat pumps to reduced reliance on the grid. There is a low energy LED lighting installation with PIR lighting controls. The building features a VRF heating and cooling system with heat recovery to maximise both comfort and energy efficiency. There is also a water conservation strategy throughout the building, including rainwater harvesting, waterless urinals and low-flush WCs. Occupants are encouraged to use public transport with the nearby transport interchange and on site cycle store with the capacity for up to 96 bicycles.
Energy performance has also been designed into the fabric of the building with clever design touches that reference the town. For example, the brise soleil on the south east and south west elevations have been designed as undulating vertical fins, which reference ripples in the sand created by wave patterns, while improving the energy performance of the building by reducing the air conditioning load.