Neighbourhood North in Bristol, UK

The first in a group of three buildings, North Quay House was a multi-tenanted office in Bristol situated within the Quayside development. Acquired in 2019, our client aspirations for Quayside were to bring life back to the three buildings through a full interior and exterior refurbishment whilst repositioning the buildings for a new generation of occupiers.

We were appointed by our client to project manage the refurbishment of North Quay House into Neighbourhood North, an environmentally conscious office space that is exemplary in both appearance and performance. Neighbourhood North is the first of the three buildings to be transformed within the low carbon community of ‘Neighbourhood’ and we are delighted to have played our part in bringing our client’s vision to life.  

Works to the property included stripping out all the internal areas, removing selected roof gables, removing and extending the existing windows, and replacing the roof coverings. Upgrades were also made to the building including improvements to the landscaping scheme, installing solar PV panels to the roof, conducting a full capital plant replacement, and upgrading the electrical supply and lifts. We managed a full refurbishment and upgrade of the toilet and end-of-journey facilities – showers, changing rooms, lockers – alongside installing new ceilings and lighting throughout the building. In addition, there is a lateral extension to create a new entrance and reception area.  

Throughout all stages of development, Neighbourhood North has considered its lifecycle carbon. Every step of the refurbishment has been questioned to understand whether its value outweighed the embodied carbon impact, resulting in an environmentally conscious development.  

The project’s sustainability headlines include:

• 218 tonnes of embodied carbon emissions have been saved by retaining the existing raised access flooring, utilising CLT upper floors and roof structure within the extension, using 30% GGBS within the extension sub-structure concrete, and installing new timber-aluminium hybrid windows and curtain walling throughout.
• On completion of the refurbishment works, 29.57% of savings will be achieved on residual CO2 emissions due to specification of air source heat pumps and PV panels.
• 16.4% reduction in energy demand per m2 floor area is anticipated due to the implementation of passive design measures 
  Due to the prioritisation of ESG measures, and reusing the building’s existing fabric, Neighbourhood North is on track to achieve BREEAM Outstanding and EPC A.  

Our client's plans for Neighbourhood North will be emulated across the remaining two buildings, using the same carbon considerations and external aesthetic. We look forward to seeing the Neighbourhood community reach completion in years to come and be enjoyed by future occupiers.