Manchester has seen significant investment in regeneration and as a result has attracted a number of companies, including some big-name occupiers, looking to establish UK or regional headquarters in and around the city. One such company, drawn by the buoyancy of the commercial property market as well as strong infrastructure, excellent transport links and an ideal geographical location in terms of their client base is Overbury, the office fit out specialist.
The move was crucial to the company’s strategic plan of providing a truly nationwide service to clients and it sees Manchester as its natural northern home. It has the highest amount of new office space available outside London and Greater Manchester also has the second largest sub-regional economy in the country.
The Northern division of the company, which provides a complete fit out and refurbishment service for commercial premises in both the private and public sectors, has built a substantial business from its North West base seeing £20 million growth over the past three years. It’s workforce, which has grown from just one person – MD Paul Brown, to in excess of 30 have all been recruited locally for their knowledge of the market and strong relationships with local consultants, agents and subcontractors. Since inception in 2004, the Manchester office has delivered projects for some of the UK’s top companies including Yell, BUPA, Hewlett Packard, KPMG, Reuters and Deloitte.
Core to Overbury’s business approach – and a key factor setting the company apart from its competitors in Manchester – has been its commitment to helping companies reduce their environmental impact through its expertise in environmental management and sustainability best practice. Overbury was the first commercial office fit out and refurbishment specialist to become Carbon Neutral, a process which has involved the company introducing a comprehensive programme for measuring and reducing carbon emissions generated from energy usage, waste and business travel across its offices. Any remaining emissions are offset through a renewable energy project in Bulgaria and sustainable forestry projects in the UK.
First carbon neutral fit-out for Manchester office
Recent schemes have included a completely carbon neutral fit out for ‘green’ design and architectural practice Sheppard Robson at the firm’s City Tower offices in Piccadilly Plaza, Manchester. The £350,000 project is believed to be the first comprehensively sustainable scheme of its kind in Manchester and the North West.
It took six weeks to complete with the team working hard to ensure all the materials used on site were either procured locally - to cut down on emissions from delivery vehicles - or from a sustainable source.
“This project is different from other sustainable fit outs as not only has the figure for carbon dioxide emissions been calculated to include workers commuting to site, deliveries of materials, waste produced and energy used, but the embodied energy from the manufacturing process for all the materials used on site has also been measured and offset,” comments Riccardo Rizzi, Overbury’s environment manager.
Overbury worked extremely closely with Sheppard Robson and the rest of the project team to source materials from renewable sources. The natural wool carpets are biodegradable and even have recyclable backing. The rubber flooring is recyclable and provides a low toxicity compared to PVC so actually contributes to the wellbeing of the occupier. In addition, rubber trees actually sequester carbon.
Low-energy light fittings have been installed and an exposed soffit stabilises peaks in heating and cooling. FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) approved softwood timber which is more quickly renewable than hardwoods and has less impact on the environment than MDF has been used.
Waste reduction
Overbury encouraged suppliers to deliver goods on pallets to save packaging and organised for a single vehicle to pick up a number of deliveries to cut down on the number of trips to site. Waste was segregated and recycled where possible and electricity meters were installed to measure power used.
“It requires a bit more effort to track and measure emissions and segregate waste but as a company we’ve been doing it since 2005 so the project teams know what they need to do and can provide that service to the client,” says Rizzi. “On this project – the environmental impact was hugely important as Sheppard Robson themselves take sustainability very seriously and provided much of the information on the materials used.”
Overbury completes in excess of 300 projects a year and acts as a main contractor on fit out and refurbishment projects. This involves the coordination of the physical building work on behalf of the client using specialist sub contractors. Overbury’s involvement ranges from initial estimating (providing a cost for the project) to the delivery of completed projects. It operates from three other offices in London, Birmingham and Bracknell.
Paul Brown, managing director of the Manchester office concludes: “We provide professional management on all elements of a commercial property fit out to ensure that the project runs as smoothly as possible. We procure and manage the best suppliers and share our expertise on technical, environmental, and sustainability issues. We look forward to building on relationships already forged locally and playing our part in the economic development of the region.”
