Black Cat was instructed to project manage the full internal refurbishment of Royal Mead on behalf of CBRE IM. This was a Cat A refurbishment of 25,000sqft of premium office space in the centre of Bath. It involved taking the building back to shell and installing new mechanical and electrical services, new finishes and new curtain walling throughout.
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Core Service
ESG & Sustainability -
Sector
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Client Type
Landlords / Investors -
Location
Bath
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Size
25,000 ft²
The client’s overarching aim was to make this building a standout product in the market by achieving BREEAM Excellent, Wiredscore Silver, ActiveScore Platinum, Fitwel 2 Star, EPC B and AirScore Gold. These ambitious targets required the team to adopt a holistic approach to the social, environmental, and technological aspects of the build.
The initial target of BREEAM Very Good was upgraded to BREEAM Excellent post tender, which created a number of challenges. The original sustainability consultant believed that this upgrade was not possible, so Black Cat brought in an alternative to conduct a peer review and ultimately deliver the clients aspirations. The design team should be commended for their ability to adapt to the requirements for achieving the enhanced rating.
This achievement was rendered even more impressive because we were unable to add any renewable energy sources due to the building’s location in Bath city centre, a UNESCO world heritage site. To improve the EPC rating for the building we also wanted to remove the gas supply from the property and only use electrically operated heating and cooling. This meant that each credit had to be very carefully explored and analysed to ensure target of Excellent could be met. We worked closely with the sustainability consultant and the design team to identify achievable credits and ensure they were attained.
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