Directline Structures builds own sustainable HQ

A Directline Structures product story

Edited by the Buildingtalk editorial team Aug 12, 2010

Directline Structures has been named a winner at the London and South East Constructing Excellence Awards in the SME category for the design and construction of its own headquarters.

Winning the award for Orbital House, located on Ashford's Orbital Business Park, it is the first time Directline Structures has entered the Constructing Excellence Awards.

Duncan Murray, managing director, Directline Structures, commented: "Designing our own building gave us the opportunity to practice what we preach and prove that a sustainable building can be cost effective, good looking and a pleasant place to work.

Sustainability also results in lower running costs and enhances the long-term value of the building.

We are very proud to win this award and it reflects well on our dedicated team".

Orbital House, a two-storey building covering 1,100m2, incorporating a number of environmentally friendly features including a rainwater harvester which utilises all water from the roof and stores it for flushing toilets, and air source heating which keeps the building at a comfortable temperature to provide a good working environment.

Duncan Murray added: "Building Orbital House allowed us to really push the boundaries of innovative and sustainable design.

The site we chose was a challenging shape and on a steep slope but we saw this as an opportunity rather than a problem.

"By putting all of our expertise, skill and experience into the design, we saved at least 20 per cent in materials, generated a very small amount of waste, much of which was used as building material, and didn't have to remove any earth from the site".

The Constructing Excellence Awards, now in its fourth year, has become one of the leading built environment awards in the UK.

Directline Structures will now join other regional winners to compete in the National Constructing Excellence Awards in November.

The company is also a finalist in the Environment Awards for Kent Business 2010, the results of which will be announced in September.