Photographs courtesy of Speller Metcalfe
Client: Western Power Distribution
Architect: B3 Architects
Main Contractor: Speller Metcalfe
Roofing & Cladding Contractor: BC (Roofing Contractors) Ltd
Tata Steel Products: Trisomet® insulated panel system with Colorcoat HPS200 Ultra® external face and Colorcoat® High Reflect pre-finished steel internally
Year: 2014

Western Power Distribution (WPD) comprises a network of UK electricity distribution operators serving some 8 million customers across the South West, Midlands and South Wales. As part of their business development programme, WPD is building a number of new depots across these regions. The Spilsby depot in Lincolnshire has achieved a BREEAM Outstanding rating of 100.5 % at design stage and an even higher post-completion score of 101.9 %, making it the world’s highest rated BREEAM project at the time.

The depot includes storage facilities and office space for around 25 staff, enabling them to provide a rapid response service to satisfy the ever-increasing demands of WPD’s customers in the area.

The challenge

The Spilsby depot was the tenth in a series of mainly fast-track BREEAM projects won by Speller Metcalfe, the main contractor, under competitive tender. The key requirements taken into consideration for this depot were to create a sustainable building, quickly, using a library of specific BIM component families and design processes, developed by B3 Architects as a result of working on nearly 40 depots for WPD.

The solution

Through a ‘fabric first’ approach, excellent u-value and air-tightness has been attained, using  our Trisomet® insulated roof and wall panels. The enhanced u-value specification of these panels reduces the heat energy conduction losses through the building envelope by 7.5% compared with the notional building specification. WPD Spilsby is a fine exemplar of how zero carbon energy performance buildings can be constructed at a sensible cost and within budget.

A major plus for the project, contributing towards the high BREEAM rating, was that both of the Colorcoat® products used and the Trisomet® composite panels are certified ‘Very Good’ to BES 6001, a certification which is recognised in the ‘Responsible Sourcing of Materials’ section of BREEAM.

The inclusion of Colorcoat® High Reflect pre-finished steel liner on the internal face of the Trisomet® insulated panels, contributed to the zero carbon energy performance as it is designed to provide at least 85% reflectance, giving annual energy savings of up to 12% and reducing CO₂ emissions by 2-3% per year.

Every element of the design, construction and performance of WPD Spilsby, including the use of responsibly sourced products, has been carefully thought through to ensure that the building is as environmentally friendly as possible.

Delivered within 21 weeks, WPD Spilsby has also been assessed by the Considerate Constructors Scheme which ranked it in the top 5% of construction sites assessed in the UK.