News

Our expert application of Revit and Digital Engineering in the form of Building Information Modelling (BIM) is a powerful design management and coordination tool. This advanced coordination in design minimises abortive work, site fabrication and wasted materials. Populating the modelled information in the later stages of design, fabrication and installation provides our clients with invaluable facilities management data for operation and maintenance.

It’s a common misconception that BIM is purely about the production of a 3D virtual construction model, but this is only part of BIM Level 2. Certification ensures:

• We have the necessary BIM capability, IT capability and available resource to deliver projects.
• That we evaluate our supply chain for the same capability.
• Necessary and regular training is in place.
• Project roles and responsibilities are clearly defined.
• Processes are in place for the production and monitoring of workload.
• A robust QA process is in place to ensure that all information issued has been validated and has passed through the appropriate QA checks.

We have achieved BIM Level 2 verification from the British Standards Institute, as a ”Tier 2 Appointed Party including MEP Building Services and Sustainable Design Consultancy complying with BIM Level 2 in accordance in accordance with ISO 19650-2:2018 incorporating the UK National Annex” for the 6th year running now.

This is testament to the expert skills and dedication of our BIM team, led by Paul Hargreaves. Great job Paul!

Our team of Sustainability Consultants is growing under David Spiteri’s leadership, with Scott O’Hara, Andrew Hogg, Ewan McCluckie and Chris Stevens all joining the team since our last newsletter. This significantly enhances our already strong credentials in energy, sustainability, wellness, BREEAM, modelling, analysis, and certification.

David and his team are leading the way in driving Net Zero Carbon solutions for our clients, cutting through the mystery and separating out the facts to realise and deliver practical and cost-effective solutions. We are also responding and contributing to the emerging trends in the market, as we look forward to COP26 in Glasgow, and we enhance social value and placemaking on our projects.

There is no one-size-fi ts-all solution when designing a Net Zero Carbon building. Wallace Whittle have worked with clients develop net zero carbon strategies and roadmaps across all sectors: from large masterplan schemes to re-purposing of existing buildings.

WW understand there are fundamental NZC design questions which need answering at early design stage, such as:

• What is the cost-optimal passive design solution for a development?
• What building services systems are considered viable and practical?
• What renewables technologies can I use?
• Which design options are affordable and maintainable for the end-users, whilst allowing for future flexibility?
• How can a Net Zero Carbo design strategy promote a healthy environment for its occupants?

David Spiteri will be delighted to discuss your thoughts and requirements, so please get in touch to benefit from the value we can add.

We were very excited to see the Edinburgh St James Quarter galleria open for the first time to visitors on 24th June and the front cover photo on this newsletter was taken on opening day. Originally due to open in 2020, work was forced to temporarily come to a halt on the £1 billion development amid the coronavirus lockdown, and construction has been underway for five years to bring the new site to life, after the former St James Centre closed its doors for the last time in 2016.

Edinburgh St James Quarter introduces a new retail led, lifestyle district that fully integrates into and enhances Edinburgh’s City Centre providing an inspiring, attractive, and vibrant destination for locals and visitors to live, shop, eat, sleep and play. St James Quarter accommodates an enviable line up of restaurants, cafés, bars, shops, public spaces, leisure venues, residential and hotel accommodation.

The development, which spans across 1.7 million square feet, accommodates 85 shops and more than 30 food outlets, as well as Scotland’s first W Hotel, which includes a bar, outdoor terrace, restaurant, and spa. Still to come in the later phases of the development, over the next 18 months, will be more shops, restaurants and bars, a boutique Everyman Cinema, a Roomzzz Aparthotel, and 152 New Eidyn residential apartments.

Everyone at Wallace Whittle is very proud of the part we played in bringing this fantastic development to fruition, providing MEP engineering design and Sustainability consultancy with an MEP construction value of £70m. We were engaged from concept to completion, and this has been a journey of more than 10 years to date. We have worked with many talented and dedicated people and companies along the way, and we are very much looking forward to seeing Edinburgh St James Quarter fully complete.

122 Waterloo Street is the EPC A rated, BREEAM Excellent first phase of the wider Bothwell Exchange development and extends to 155,000ft².  This highly sustainable, grade A office building has a particular focus on employee wellbeing with amenities including a gym, restaurant, meditation room and on-site health care centre, as well as ergonomic breakout areas, collaboration spaces and conference rooms to complement its bright open-plan offices.  The resilient and flexible offices provide some of the most energy efficient accommodation in Scotland and  were pre-let to Morgan Stanley.

“HFD have worked with Wallace Whittle from our own inception 30 years ago and during that time they have heavily supported HFD’s journey in leading the way on high quality, sustainable developments. This has included many of our developments at Strathclyde Business Park & Hamilton International Park including the sustainability award winning EcoCampus. More recently this included another of our award-winning developments, 122 Waterloo Street in Glasgow, where Wallace Whittle drove a highly collaborative approach to the delivery a complex, highly resilient office for our occupier Morgan Stanley.”

Stephen Lewis, Managing Director, HFD Property Group Ltd

We are proud of the work that we do, and it is appreciated when our efforts are recognised through awards and feedback from our clients and collaborators.  Recent wins illustrate the value we add, and we are proud to have played our part in these Award winning projects.  We are starting as we mean to go on!

The new £55m campus provides state-of-the-art teaching accommodation for 1,600-pupils includes a 3G pitch, a multi-use games area and an external play area.  New accommodation has also been  provided for the St Andrews Special School and the community facilities include a six-lane swimming pool, a hydrotherapy pool, a warm water pool and a training pool along with a sports hall and community cafe.

“I found Wallace Whittle a pleasure to work with on the £55m Inverurie Community Campus project. They were engaged and pro-active throughout and we are delighted with the final product. Their ability to explain technical matters in an understandable manner was particularly helpful when assessing specification options during design development. I would have no hesitation in recommending them as a leading environmental building services consultancy.”

John Macleod, Project Manager, Aberdeenshire Council

As we face the global climate emergency, and with more than 40% of UK carbon emissions emanating from buildings and construction activities, we provide leading sustainability consultancy to minimise impacts from the development, refurbishment, operation and disposal of buildings.

Driving towards Net Zero Carbon (NZC) requires new skills in the accurate assessment and measurement of embodied and operational energy. As members of the UK Green Building Council, and in keeping with our strong principles of evolution, our team is facing these challenges through the application of new techniques in design and analysis. We are delighted to welcome David Spiteri as our new Director and Head of Sustainability

David is responsible for driving the green agenda within the company and providing support in delivering sustainable building services solutions.  With a proven track record in the construction industry, David is passionate about promoting human-centred design strategies whilst minimising the impact on our planet. David is a specialist in early concept design and building physics, addressing all aspects carbon, energy and sustainability.  David is passionate in leading our response to the global climate emergency, designing for Net Zero Carbon, wellness and health in the post-Covid world.  Please get in touch and David will be delighted to share his passion and expertise.