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OpTIC

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The facts

Project Location: St Asaph, North Wales
Client: Welsh Development Agency
Start Date: 2001
Completion Date: 2004
Project Construction Value: £9m
Services provided: Architecture and Interior Design

The project

The high technology of optical related research and production from local industry and Bangor University academics resulted in the need for this flagship building to promote the Optronics Industry in North Wales.

The design is based on three distinct needs: Business Support, Incubator Units and a Technology Centre.

The Business Support Unit contains associated services to support the building and users, including conference facilities for 200, café, exhibition space and a combined reception.

The Incubator units consist of 20 units, each 70m2, which can act as office, research or production space depending on the users requirements. Further more the units can be increased in size to accommodate expansion.

The 2000sqm Technology Centre houses Clean Rooms to Class 100 and production areas to Class 10,000. The Technology Centre is serviced overhead from dedicated plant rooms covering the whole of the centre. The plant area and Technology Centre are planned on a 1500mm grid mirrored on both floors to facilitate flexible servicing and planning of the space to accommodate changes and advancement of technology in this field.

The client brief called for a building capable of considerable flexibility and utilising “Green” technology to achieve a BREEAM Excellent rating as a minimum.

The final proposals included rainwater harvesting, passive ventilation in non-clean room spaces (including the double height street atrium between the Incubator Units and Technology Centre) and extensive use of photovoltaic walls to generate energy. These walls are the largest Copper Indium Discelenide (CIS) photovoltaic array in the world (2004) comprising 1000m2 of panels. Sustainable materials are specified where practical adapting a contemporary architectural style to achieve a local identity of materials and texture.

The project was registered with Constructing Excellence as a Demonstration Project (number 1155) to promote good building practice, sustainability and innovation.