Ask Developments digs deep for environmental benefits

MANCHESTER-BASED Ask Developments is installing 35 thermal boreholes at a cost of £350,000 in Number One First Street.

The development, which is located on the southern edge of the city, spans a 20 acre site and includes 1.8m sq ft of offices, around 1,500 key worker homes and student flats and 350,000 sq ft of retail and leisure space.

The development’s anchor tenants, Manchester City Council, will begin a phased move in from April 2010.

The thermal boreholes – which are regarded as a cutting-edge ‘green’ technology – measure 15cm wide by 150 metres deep and are currently being installed underneath Southern Square which will be similar in size to Manchester’s Albert Square.

The boreholes work by storing energy from the ground which can then be used to cool buildings in the summer or heat them in the winter.

The scale of this installation exceeds anything previously seen in Manchester.

John Hughes, director at Ask Developments, said: “Despite the fragile economy, businesses are increasingly required to implement long-term sustainability strategies and we believed at the outset that it was important to ensure that First Street maintains its position at the forefront of sustainable working practices.

“While there will be no immediate financial return on our investment in these boreholes, we wanted to develop a long-term strategy that will put First Street ahead of the competition when  environmentally aware  businesses are once again seeking to invest in new business space.”

Sir Richard Leese, Leader of Manchester City Council, said: “Manchester is committed to sustainable design and we have set ourselves an ambitious target of reducing the city’s carbon emissions by 41% by 2020 as part of our drive to become Britain’s greenest city.

“This innovative scheme is to be applauded and we welcome the fact that sustainability is at the heart of the First Street development.”

This significant improvement in the building’s carbon performance is a key part of Ask’s sustainable development strategy which aims to minimise its impact on the environment.      

Development of further plots at First Street will continue to allow for the adoption of new sustainable technologies either by way of additional boreholes or alternative renewable energy sources which will be incorporated within adjacent public squares.