The Ribbon

The Ribbon is a nine storey commercial led mixed use building including retail, restaurant and leisure facilities. The building uses passive design and on-site renewables to ensure low energy use and has a focus on flexibility to provide future proofing.

Early on in the project Cundall proposed an alternative energy strategy, the cornerstones of which included avoiding high risk boreholes, no combustion on-site (air quality neutral), compatibility with future connection to district heating, PV area reduced from 172m² to 44m², further reduction of CO₂ emissions from 21% to 28% and carbon offset payment.

Alan Fogarty, Partner commented "This project has presented some challenges throughout the design stages, such as the inclusion of a 500m² nightclub, a tenant generator and two UK Power Network substations within the basement. The Stage 2 design had most of the plant within the basement, which then had to be re-configured to accommodate a nightclub. The solution was to introduce on-floor air units to each office tenant demise, retain the existing substation within the pavement vaults and to position a single life-safety/tenant generator above the loading bay".