Vanguard House - Accommodation

A national first in building temperature control

Vanguard House employs renewable heating and cooling technologies, with low running costs compared with conventional air conditioning or boiler systems. It achieves this by using a combination of passive design and geo-thermal technologies comprising:

• Heating and cooling derived from a ground source pump, which extracts constant cool water from an underground aquifer via a 120m deep borehole. The water is used to cool or heat the building via a heat pump which boosts its temperature.
• Heating and cooling is delivered to the tenants' offices and laboratories by use of a concrete core activation system. This is a revolutionary system of pipes embedded into pre-cast concrete planks which form the floors and is a first in the UK.
• Tenants have individual control of the system to provide heating or cooling to their space with connections off the system to provide additional cooling as required.
• The thermal mass of the concrete planks which form the ceilings absorb heat during the day and release it slowly back into the building at night, which coupled with the use of natural ventilation (operable windows), results in steady state internal temperature being maintained.
• Part brise soleil, solar glazing and blinds also assist in managing temperatures.

The building is designed to minimise carbon dioxide emissions and provide low cost heating and cooling for its occupiers.

The building provides the following net internal floor areas: