Planning submitted for Bruntwood’s pioneering £31m Ev0 Building

Manchester property giant, Bruntwood, has submitted plans for the development of the UK’s lowest carbon new-build workspace.

The Ev0 Building is a £31m scheme destined for Didsbury Technology Park, in south Manchester, which will provide 82,000 sq ft of sustainable office space which Bruntwood says will lead Manchester’s workspace offering towards a net zero future.

The planning submission follows a period of public consultation.

Ev0 will:

• Achieve net zero in both construction and operation
• Meet the LETI 2020 design target for upfront carbon, the RIBA 2025 performance targets on whole life carbon, and the UKGBC Paris Proof target on operational usage
• Follow the UK Green Building Council’s net zero carbon framework
• Target NABERS 5.5 stars and BREEAM Excellent ratings
• Be 100% electric and generate 94% of total energy demand on-site, with the remainder sourced from Bruntwood’s cooperatively-owned wind farm in Ayrshire

Ev0 features a unique mass timber frame, employing the process of sequestration to capture and store carbon, in the same way as a tree.

Significantly reducing the building’s energy consumption, the facade is designed to minimise solar gain and overheating on the southerly and westerly elevations and to maximise solar gain on the northerly and easterly elevations. It will also use minimal low carbon concrete in its construction.

Bruntwood’s transparency with Ev0’s carbon data leaves the developer in no doubt that this is the UK’s lowest carbon new build workspace, with full figures available on the Ev0 website.

Bruntwood Works – the workspace, retail and leisure arm of the Bruntwood Group – will design, develop and deliver the scheme, with construction scheduled to begin in summer 2023 and completion expected in autumn 2024.

Ciara Keeling, CEO of Bruntwood Works, said: “In submitting our plans for Ev0, we are proud to provide yet more meaningful contribution to Manchester’s ambition of becoming a carbon neutral city by 2038.

“Since becoming the UK’s first commercial property company to sign the World Green Building Council’s Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment in 2018, we have strived to lead the way in the market, placing sustainability at the heart of everything we do.

“Ev0 is the culmination of all our work to date, taking everything we have learned to create the UK’s lowest carbon new build. And as part of this, we will continue to be fully transparent about presenting data and assessments to ensure that we stay true to our commitments and to allow Ev0 to become a blueprint for net zero construction in the industry.”

The project is supported by a number of strategic partners, including architect Sheppard Robson, MEP, structural and sustainability consultants Ramboll, landscape architects Layer Studio, and planning consultants Deloitte Real Estate. JLL and CBRE will act as agents for the building, bringing their extensive knowledge of the sustainability credentials customers are looking for.