The Envirotech Group are delighted to have completed the design & build M&E services for The Eco Build Business Centre, Bicester, in association with Kier Construction (Central) on behalf of Cherwell District Council.

• UK’s first Passivhaus Plus
• BREEAM ‘Outstanding’
• Zero carbon build.
• Part of Eco Town development
• Heating/Hot water connected to existing low carbon district heating system.
• Mixed mode ventilation utilizing natural and high-efficiency mechanical ventilation heat recovery.
• High-efficiency lighting and controls.
• 18 Week Programme
• 5,000 accident-free site hours
• On Budget & On Programme.

Project Details

Envirotech were appointed as the mechanical and electrical contractor to provide a design and build a solution to meet the requirements of Passivhaus Plus, the first project to this standard within the UK. The project was completed over an 18 week programme and required stringent design detail and coordination to ensure compliance.

The new business centre is a three-storey office building, located in an Eco-Town development, north of Bicester. The building is designed to be zero carbon. The internal spaces are mainly offices with the flexibility to be subdivided to suit tenants. Other spaces include a kitchen at the ground floor level, meeting rooms and tea stations at each level and ancillary spaces such as WCs, disabled/shower room, server room, cleaner’s cupboard and plant zones.

In order to meet the zero-carbon requirement, the mechanical and electrical systems have been designed to minimise energy consumption during the life of the buildings, provide flexibility and minimise maintenance, in conjunction with the installation of onsite electricity generation system using photovoltaic (PV) panels.

Project constraints

Due to the site location within a recently developed domestic property Eco Town it was crucial to undertake works with minimal disruption to residents, scheduled deliveries and noisy works were coordinated to achieve this.

As a UK first for Passivhaus Plus, diligent design, specialist build methods, material and labour were critical in achieving the required certification. As a new benchmark the procurement for the project required tight focus due to limited options.

With a necessity to connect to the town residents live mains district heating system, additional measures were undertaken to prevent zero impact.