2c Flowers Hill | How We Strived For Sustainability

The 7,000 sq ft commercial property 2c Flowers Hill is a 1930’s steel frame reinforced building, quite typical of its era. The first mention of the building dates back to 1940’s, when it was used as a bakery for the famous Cadena Café chain. The Bristol branch of the café chain was located at 15-17 Wine Street. Over the time, the property has undergone several alterations and its recent use was a showroom for furniture business Silcox and Son. And we decided to put our own handprint on the building and make it at efficient and smart as possible. So how did we get there?

The building was completely stripped back to its original fabric in January 2021. The ambitious scheme was delivered by the  Bristol based designers Fable and Form, who created the design entire around our business. The  project was brought to life by the Principal and Main Contractor Chalk Design and Build. It was our aim to recognises the industrial heritage of the building, whilst focusing on smart features and sustainability.

Sustainable Energy Choices

To ensure the building was watertight and efficient, we thermo insulated the roof and walls, and replaced all windows and doors. Next, we started the installation of solar panels. Our current setup enables us to generate 27kW/h at peak capacity, which allows us to run our operation off solar power on most days. Wireless communication with Smart Power Sensor is giving us data in real time. Using the online application, we can see how much power we are generating, storing in our battery or how much power we are sending back to the grid. 

Sustainable Fitout Choices

The main feature of the design scheme is the acoustic perforated perimeter panelling produced by the local social enterprise Knowle West Media Centre. Eco-friendly Lick paint was used throughout the entire space and low VOC grouting was used to minimise the release of nasty fumes. Not only does our  Forbo linoleum flooring in the entire first floor look and feel great, but it’s also made from linseed, which is a raw material and carbon neutral.

We decided to implement 3 re-used triangular shaped fittings from 299 lighting in our boardroom. 

Sustainable Furniture Choices

Our new furniture is made by MODUS, a local South Somerset furniture maker, who are a carbon neutral business and a living wage employer. The soft seating and chairs are made of recycled fabric and the coffee tables are made of recycled cork, which is a great sustainable material. We also used refurbished Herman Miller chairs for the desk stations. The shelving and tea point are created by Forest & Maker, one of the UK most sustainable and environmentally conscious commercial furniture who hold Grown in Britain Chain of Custody certificate.

Sustainable FM Choices

All luminaires in our property have been fitted with movement sensors and the whole office is fully Bluetooth Casambi dimmable, meaning the lighting can be easily controlled from the touch of a button on the app. But efficiency wasn’t the only driving factor for us. We wanted our lighting to be also visually comfortable. The main office has been fitted with micro prismatic diffusers, and with CRI 95, creating a highly comfortable and accurate environment.

Investing into the state of the art Hybrid VRF system has brought many benefits to our daily lives. This latest technology blends the best features of VRF Variable Refrigerant Flow technology and efficiency, with the comfort of a water based Air Conditioning systems. As half of the system uses water and not the traditional refrigerant, we are reducing our CO2 use and using a renewable heat source whilst enjoying the comfort.

Achieving EPC Rating A has been a great journey, and one we're incredibly proud of. But the journey doesn't stop here. We're committed to continuously looking into more ways to make our business more efficient and sustainable, for the betterment of our local community and our planet.

Want to visit Cadena House to see what a new space could do for your business? Stop on by for a tour; we'll be ready to show you around.