McLellan Works, Glasgow
Client: Bywater Properties
Designer: C2 Concepts
Furniture: Rype Office
Refurbished inside and out, this 1855 building in the heart of Glasgow was given a new lease of life as a sustainable serviced office space. Operational and embodied carbon emissions have been minimised during the building renovation work, fit-out, furnishing and in operation.
Project assessment against the See Net Zero sustainability metrics:
£/ft2
“Cost effective” according to client
kgCO2e/ft2
Build: Not known
Furniture: Not known
HVAC: Not known
Second life furniture
Not known
Locally made/ remade
Not known
Hours employment for those furthest from workforce
0 hours
Operational emissions minimised
The building procures 100% renewable energy direct from wind and solar farms through Good Energy. Monitoring and reporting of energy consumption occurs to identify waste. Natural ventilation is priortised, supported by efficient central HVAC plant. LED lighting has been installed throughout, controlled with PIR sensors so the lights only turn on when rooms are occupied.
Sustainable furnishings
McLellan Works is furnished with original pieces from renowned brands including Hitch Mylius, Herman Miller, Normann Copenhagen and Arper – made affordable thanks to remanufacturing. Just like the building itself, each piece comes with its own provenance, having served its first lives in organisations including Microsoft, Goldman Sachs and Molton Brown, before being remanufactured back to as-new condition by Rype Office. This remanufacturing means that the McLellan Works’ furniture has an 80% lower carbon footprint and waste than the same items made from virgin resources. Fabrics chosen include Bute Fabrics, produced on the nearby Isle of Bute. Tops for meeting and coffee tables were made from recycled post-consumer waste kitchen chopping boards, made by Smile Plastics.
Flexibility
McLellan Works has been designed to embrace the building’s beauty whilst offering flexible workspaces from individual suites to entire wings. Communal areas are built around a modern café with break out areas, balconies and phone-booths. For eco-friendly commuting, the building has spa-standard showers, locker rooms, bike parking and maintenance and drying space.
Post-completion occupant engagement
Recognising that tenant behaviour has a big impact on energy use, travel, recycling, supply chain emissions and social impact, Bywater retained Greengage to engage with tenants to address each of these issues.
