Overview

SPECIFIC worked with the Active Building Centre, the Welsh Government and Carmarthenshire County Council to develop Parc Gelli Werdd, a new commercial and light industrial facility at Cross Hands that conforms to the Active Building design principles.

The Welsh Government and Carmarthenshire County Council saw the Cross Hands development as an opportunity to create an exemplar for low-carbon mixed-use workspaces.

The development was the first to use the Active Building Design Toolkit from the early design stage. This challenged the design consultants and the contractor to understand and integrate renewable technologies with energy management systems as key design elements at the core of the overall design. 

The technical team at SPECIFIC was an integral part of the Design and Build Team, up to RIBA Stage 5. During this time, SPECIFIC worked closely with the designers, main contractor, client body, and the Active Building Centre.

Prior to the project commencing, the SPECIFIC team assisted the preparation of the Project Brief and client’s requirements.

As part of their ongoing development of the Active Building Toolkit, a set of Stage Reports for an Active Building was developed. These were included in each Stage Report, up until Stage 5. During the design stages, the team prepared additional design notes, including one for EV charging, and advised on potential suitable technologies for inclusion in the scheme. The Active Building Toolkit was also made available to the design team.

Throughout the design stages, SPECIFIC supported project delivery via workshops; by reviewing MEP (Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing) design; and by developing a detailed Monitoring Specification, in conjunction with the Active Building Centre. The purpose of the Monitoring Specification was to aid the MEP design and for use following project handover, when the buildings are occupied.

Construction of Parc Gelli Werdd was completed in July 2023 by main contractor Andrew Scott Ltd. with a contract value of £11.8 million.

The SPECIFIC team is assisting the Active Building Centre (now part of the Energy Systems Catapult) with data monitoring, to determine whether the buildings meet the design criteria in terms of energy consumption and generation. The outcome will be to generate a report for Carmarthenshire County Council assessing the operational energy use data against the original design.

Project partners: Active Building Centre, Carmarthenshire County Council, Welsh Government, Stride Treglown Architects, Max Fordham, Curtins, Blake Morgan, Andrew Scott Ltd.

Aims

• To achieve Net Zero carbon in use.
• To achieve the RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge for operational energy using Active Building principles.
• To increase awareness and knowledge of Active Building practices.
• To create a low carbon exemplar for other business developments across Wales.
• To apply the Active Building Design Toolkit for the first time.

Impacts

• Active Building Design Toolkit applied for the first time in a commercial development.
• Construction was completed in July 2023 (not yet occupied).
• Parc Gelli Werdd was shortlisted for Building Project of the Year at the Constructing Excellence Wales Awards 2024.