Windmill Green

GREEN BY NAME, GREEN BY NATURE

With innovative sustainability considerations throughout the design and build process, this contemporary fitted third floor exemplifies the perfect environmentally-friendly fitout project.

Project Details

Client: Trinova Real Estate
Type: Cat A+
Size: 4,000 sq ft
Location: Manchester

As a London-based fitout company, we rarely see ourselves completing projects outside of the City, but we were delighted to head to Manchester for this project up north; a CAT A+ fitout of the third floor of sustainable power-hub, Windmill Green.

Peppered along the walls, you can find floor-to-ceiling panels of live moss. Handpicked from preserved forests, the moss improves acoustics, air quality, and wellbeing, while being self-maintaining through extracting the moisture out of the air and purifying it in return. Inspired by the amazing living wall in the reception area, the moss walls perfectly slot in between the feature paneled windows.

Moss walls are not only fantastic for the wellbeing of tenants for a multitude of reasons, they’re also environmentally friendly as they improve energy efficiency through a process called evapotranspiration. Through evapotranspiration, moss walls help to cool buildings during warm summer months and in the winter, the moss benefits the space by adding an extra layer of insulation which in turn reduces overall energy consumption. Over time, the preserved moss will also help reduce the spaces’ carbon footprint, contributing to a more sustainable workplace.

UK-based suppliers were also used wherever possible to reduce the carbon footprint. Suppliers were selected from FISP members and used FSC-approved timbers. One Mancunian supplier in particular champions the use of recycled materials in their products. The two lounge chairs overlooking Manchester Central Station, for example, are made from 41% recycled materials.

Sustainable decisions and attention to detail came all the way down to the dressing of the space. We visited several charity shops in the local area to find appropriate aesthetic finishes for the space, reducing waste and the carbon footprint, by giving them a second lease of life.

Aside from its BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ status, Windmill Green has also recently been awarded cycle score ‘platinum’ accreditation, celebrated as Manchester’s most cycle-friendly building, boasting a dedicated cycle entrance where you can pedal right into the property.

Tenants of the third floor can truly feel like they are immersed in Manchester’s most sustainable multi-let building through a leafy green palette, biophilic design and environmentally friendly accreditations.