Work has begun on a national showcase for sustainable building products and construction methods, which is being built for Wolseley UK, the UK’s leading distributor of construction materials.
The 6,800 sq ft building is being built on Wolseley UK’s18-acre site at Spa Park in Leamington Spa, which is already home to the company’s headquarters building and National Distribution Center.
The £3m Sustainable Building Center (SBC) is the first of its kind and will be a living, breathing and interactive centre for all involved in construction, from architects and developers through to jobbing builders.
It will allow them to experience the latest technologies and the widest range of real-world sustainable, energy-efficient and recycled building products. For the first time it will bring together all the products that are available now, or imminently, across all of Wolseley UK’s brands nationwide.
The SBC will display a wide range of different types of product, with many in their working environment to provide visitors with hard data on the quantifiable benefits of the latest materials and construction methods. For example, renewable energy generators, such as solar panels and ground source heat pumps, will be installed with a display to show the amount of power they are generating. ‘Renewables’ technology will be just one feature on display. Sustainable products will be incorporated in the building’s drainage, sub-structure, walls, roofs, finishes, floors, windows, heating and ventilation, lighting, bathrooms and landscaping.
Wolseley UK’s specially trained staff will be on hand to provide visitors with up-to-the-date information, data and guidance on the most appropriate materials for specific projects, from single homes through to large-scale commercial developments.
The two-storey building will also have a first-class training and presentation theatre and café facilities. These will be used for events, launches and demonstrations, to engage with a range of visitors from all sectors of the construction industry.
Nigel Sibley, Wolseley UK managing director, (pictured above) said: “Buildings account for 50 per cent of the UK’s CO2 emissions and the construction industry must contribute to a more sustainable future.
“Wolseley UK is committed to helping the industry reduce the environmental footprint left by developers and occupiers alike. That is why we have long been an advocate of sustainable building products and construction methods, working with leading architects, developers and contractors to encourage the specification and use of energy-efficient materials in all types of buildings. SBC general manager Tim Pollard added: “We have been working for some time with major customers and leading construction product manufacturers, who both value the expertise we have built up in this rapidly developing market sector.
”The unique aspect of the SBC is that it will showcase genuine sustainable products that are available now, throughout the country, in commercial quantities. As product technology and design evolves, the SBC has the designed-in ability to be updated to reflect these changes.”
The SBC building itself will generate and store energy through different types of renewable technology, including photovoltaic and biomass. Its sedum ‘blanket’ roof will protect the roof membrane and reduce internal temperatures in the summer.
The SBC will include the following types of products: photovoltaics; sedum roof; e-glazing; natural lighting; natural insulation; green floor coverings; biomass; ground source heat pump; engineered timber; low energy lighting; water saving devices; solar thermal and sustainable drainage.
The SBC is being built by Warwick-based SOL construction, which was recently acquired by Rok plc. The building is expected to open in mid-2008.
For more information on the Sustanable Building Centre, go to our dedicated website
Notes to editors:
The Wolseley Sustainable Building Center
Wolseley UK has worked with the following, amongst others, on the Sustainable Building Center project:
Architect – ECD Architects
Landscape architect – Roger Griffiths Associates
Project manager – Edmund Shipway
Main contractor – SOL Construction
Consulting engineer – Fulcrum Consulting
Structural engineer – Techniker
Quantity surveyor - Dobson White Boulcott
Wolseley UK sits at the heart of the construction supply chain, providing the widest range of construction products and materials available in the UK and Ireland through more than1,800 branches, including the Plumb Center, Build Center, Pipe Center, Drain Center, Climate Center, Parts Center, Electric Center, Encon, Brandon Hire, Brooks, Heat Merchants and William Wilson chains.
Its unique distribution system with multiple distribution centres makes the Wolseley UK distribution network more responsive and more flexible than any other in its sector. This superior supply chain capability plays a crucial role in enabling Wolseley UK to provide fast delivery of a vast product range through its branches, call centres and websites.
Wolseley UK is committed to meeting customer needs by providing the right products and services when and where they are needed, at competitive prices. Its customers are anyone who constructs and maintains buildings and range from the largest construction companies to government organisations to self-employed contractors.
Wolseley UK is a subsidiary of Wolseley plc, the world's largest specialist trade distributor of plumbing and heating products to professional contractors and a leading supplier of building materials in North America, the UK and Continental Europe. Group revenues for the year ended 31 July 2006 was approximately £14.2 billion and operating profit, before amortisation of acquired intangibles, was £882 million. Wolseley has around 78,200 employees operating in 28 countries namely: Austria, Barbados, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Greenland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, Norway, Panama, Poland, Puerto Rico, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Trinidad & Tobago, UK, USA. Wolseley is listed on the London and New York Stock Exchanges (LSE: WOS, NYSE: WOS) and is in the FTSE 100 index of listed companies.