Stephen George + Partners completes first phase of sustainable Exeter Business Park
Stephen George + Partners LLP has achieved practical completion of Number One Tiger Moth Road, a 1,790m2 speculative Grade A office building and the first phase of the £210m Exeter Skypark development. Working with client St. Modwen, Stephen George + Partners (SGP) has created three storeys of energy efficient office space, designed to be divided into three sub let units, one of which is already let.
Exeter Skypark is a cutting-edge Business Park Development and the cornerstone of the Exeter and East Devon New Growth Point and one of the South West’s most significant business park developments. Number One Tiger Moth Road creates the gateway into the core office quarter and anchors the southern edge of enterprise Square, a vibrant landscaped area with water features and communal areas for employees to meet and relax.
Says Ian Yallop, Chairman of SGP: “Number One Tiger Moth Road sets the benchmark for development across the park and establishes the vision for a high quality public realm and built form. The overall proportions of the building are particularly successful in creating a balanced, lightweight, contemporary form which merges masonry with the crisp aesthetic of glass and aluminium.”
The design for Skypark demonstrates an integrated approach to sustainability, embracing social, economic and urban design, together with consideration of environmental impact. SGP’s design for Number One Tiger Moth Road takes a holistic three stage approach: utilising the building orientation and fabric to reduce energy, plus using smart technology such as BMS and intelligent LED lighting systems to further reduce energy use. Thirdly a site wide district heating system, based on combined heat and power, serves the entire development along with the adjacent Cranbrook housing development. As a result, Number One Tiger Moth Road achieves both BREEAM Excellent and is EPC A rated with a 30% reduction in the building’s carbon emissions and 25% more energy efficient electricity consumption.
Continues Ian: “Skypark is a partnership between St. Modwen, the expert developer and regeneration specialist, and Devon County Council. The scheme provides much needed development on a brownfield site and aims to create a business park environment providing space for a range of businesses from starter companies to large inward investors benefiting the local economy and business community. And it’s already proving successful. Number One Tiger Moth Road’s first commercial sub-let (to a cloud-based software provider) was finalised within three months of build completion, bringing 40 jobs to area. And the office has already set a new rental level for Exeter with £20 per square foot quoted on the vacant space.”
Number One Tiger Moth Road is the first phase of a wider business park that will ultimately provide up to 1.2m square feet of B1 and B2 floorspace along with a hotel and ancillary facilities. Skypark will create a new business community of up to 7,500 employees which will be served by the on-site carbon neutral district heating system and set within a landscaped environment of more than 100 acres.