Versalift
This new crane mounting facility and headquarters offices for Versalift Distributors (UK) is at the entrance to a new industrial park near Burton Latimer, set amongst agricultural and woodland areas on a level site. This project shows Scott Tallon Walker’s ability to integrate industrial building into sensitive environmental areas.
Architecture
Factory and office functions have been separated to reduce perceived mass and scale. As with all our industrial buildings, it is designed to easily expand without disruption of the existing facility. While utilising readily available industrial building components, the craft applied to detail design has delivered a smart cost effective aesthetic.
In recognition, this project was awarded the Industrial Buildings Industry’s Award for the Best Purpose-Built Industrial Building of 2001 and the Colorcoat Building Detailing Award of 2002.
Sustainability
A primary requirement of the brief was for an energy efficient, sustainable and cost effective facility. The building incorporates a range of energy efficiency systems including exposed thermal mass, heat pumps for heating and cooling, mixed mode ventilation (displacement, stack and natural) and night time cooling. Discrete integration of building services was fundamental to the project as no suspended ceilings are provided.
A 1MV groundwater heat serves both heating and cooling needs. In heating mode, it uses solar heated groundwater and heat recovered from computer servers. In cooling mode, the ground sink provides free cooling for water cooled chillers.
Post occupancy data recorded energy consumption of 137.4 kWh/m2/year - 46% less than the average university building and even more impressive given the energy intensive uses within this building.
