Colmore Tang Construction’s (CTC) Pineham Park development in Northampton adjacent to the M1 have been rated ‘Very Good’ by BREEAM, in recognition of the project’s sustainability performance.
Stuart Harrison, Head of Design at CTC and Design Manager for the development at Pineham Park, said: “To receive ‘Very Good’ ratings from BREEAM is a fantastic achievement and is a real testament to the hard work and planning that went into every aspect of the project – from the initial design stages right through to delivery and completion.”
BREEAM assesses how environmentally-friendly a development is, taking into account what measures the contractor or developer has taken to improve the efficiency of the design.
“For Pineham Park we sourced very sustainable materials, including certified timber for the acoustic fence,” explained Stuart. “BREEAM rates all materials so we had to think very carefully about what we were going to use and work with trusted suppliers who bought into our vision.
“A lot of factors have to be taken into consideration, including thermal performance measures, water efficiency and energy-saving electric devices. For example, we’ve installed external lights that automatically adjust according to the season and time of year.
“Another key element is the ecology report. We conducted a large survey of the area which found no wildlife but highlighted existing hedgerows and a small pond that needed to be protected.”
CTC erected a new barrier around the perimeter of the pond to protect the area and encourage wildlife, while all construction work was kept at a reasonable distance from the existing hedgerows wherever possible.
“With BREEAM it is about more than just recognising what is there – it’s about finding ways to enhance the existing environment and improve sustainability,” added Stuart.
“I’ve worked on BREEAM projects before but never on a commercial development. It took a lot of planning at design stage to make sure we got it right – BREEAM is not something you can just bolt on at the end as an afterthought.”
Pineham Park consists of two distribution units, one of which covers an area of 3,600 square metres while the other covers 5,500 square metres.
