Sustainability at waterfront regeneration

Pivotal building in the regeneration of Lowestoft's waterfront is to be designed and built by leading architectural and engineering practice Pick Everard.

A pivotal building in the regeneration of Lowestoft's waterfront is to be designed and built by leading architectural and engineering practice Pick Everard.

Scheduled to open at Ness Point in Lowestoft at the end of 2007, Orbis-Energy is being built with support from the East of England Development Agency (EEDA), the Government Office for the East of England, Suffolk County Council and Waveney District Council.

Suffolk County Council has commissioned Pick Everard under the multi-million pound 'Capital Works Property Partnering Framework Agreement' to carry out detailed design work for the £6.4m Orbis-Energy facility, in partnership with Suffolk County Council and building contractor Wates.

Pick Everard has been appointed as multi-disciplinary consultants to transform an industrial site just 100 yards south of Ness Point, the most easterly point in the UK, where the tallest wind turbine in the UK - 126 metres (413ft) high - is already located.

Orbis-Energy will look out over the North Sea and is designed to house around 30 small to medium size businesses (SME's) involved in the offshore renewable energy sector.

The aim is to make the building a showcase of sustainability by carrying out detailed thermal modelling and including as many green technologies as time and budget will allow.

Features such as ventilation/heat recovery, solar thermal heating and comfort cooling, wind catchers for natural ventilation, biomass boiler installation and rainwater harvesting are under consideration, with the latest building management technology to reduce energy use and carbon impact.

Construction is due to start on site this summer.

Pick Everard partner Tom Allen said: "This is a very exciting project because it will be the catalyst for the regeneration of the Lowestoft waterfront".

"Pick Everard is very focussed on environmentally sustainable buildings and being BSEN ISO 14001 certified is able to contribute significant specialist expertise".

Pick Everard is the only external consultant appointed for Suffolk County Council's five-year framework agreement, which will eventually cover the council's capital building programme works budget.

The programme for 2006 is largely confirmed and will include mainly schools, plus a mix of local authority capital works and buildings.

Suffolk County Council will own and manage the new Orbis-Energy building in Lowestoft when it is completed.

Most of the funding for the project will come from the East of England Development Agency (EEDA) and the Government Office for the East of England (Go-East), plus contributions from Waveney District and Suffolk County Councils.

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