GLASGOW has a history of constructing high quality, historically important office space. The city centre still has red sandstone Victorian buildings that remain among the most impressive and important in Britain. They are some of its greatest assets.

However, newer developments can be and are important too. The construction sector is adapting to the brave new green world in which we live, and another milestone in the drive to sustainability within the city is about to be passed. Next month, the Ink Building in Douglas Street will be launched on the market.

A full refurbishment of a development originally constructed in the 1980s, it is thought to be the first fully zero carbon structure of its type in Scotland. The owner is Ambassador Investments, part of the Scottish-based construction and development group that owns and manages some £200 million worth of property. The company’s investment division portfolio includes Granite House in the city’s Stockwell Street and the Forsyth Building next to Central Station, both of which have achieved high levels of sustainability and have an energy performance certificate (EPC) rating of A.

The group is also responsible for developing a range of residential properties across Scotland, including the Park Quadrant residencies in Glasgow, Bangour Village in West Lothian and Forthview at South Queensferry. The Ink Building – which also has an EPC rating of A – is arguably its most exciting project to date.

“It’s in an area of the city where there is going to be a lot of new growth in terms of office requirements”, says Chris Richardson, Ambassador Investments’ Managing Director. The newly refurbished and upgraded building will have 35,000 square feet of accommodation, though it will contain flexible space and cater for medium sized tenants rather than huge PLCs – an area of the property market where there is something of a gap in terms of quality provision.

“If you want to take around 5,000 sqft of office space in Glasgow with strong ESG credentials, all green utilities and energy efficiencies and all the amenity of a large building the options are limited”, Mr Richardson says. The Ink Building takes its name from the original sandstone property that was on the site until it was replaced by a modern development in the 1980s. It housed a printing company and the refurbishment is a homage to that past.

This heritage is celebrated further in the new development by the fact that the exterior has been recoloured from red to black using sustainable dye. This dramatic visual change is accompanied by a huge boost in the building’s environmental credentials.

“Apart from the brick, everything is new from start to finish. We stripped it back to a bare shell. It has a new roof, windows and mechanical and electrical fittings as well as new ventilation, water feeds, power, lights, a building management system and dedicated fibre connectivity. The building will also be EV ready with the ability for an EV charging point at every car parking space. The final piece of the jigsaw will be when the solar panels go in on the roof next month.”

Chris Richardson says that there has been a real drive to create what he calls a “circular economy refurbished building” that is as good as any brand new development. There has, he adds, been a determined effort to make the new space fit modern office lifestyles.

“It’s got changing and drying rooms and a cycle store. There are also shower rooms and gender-neutral toilets. We also have energy-efficient lifts." He concedes that it was a challenge to achieve net zero in the refurbishment, which as a project has taken less than a year, Covid pandemic aside, to complete.

“We had the benefit of the fact that we didn’t demolish it, and when we stripped things out we monitored where the waste went. The final piece in the jigsaw to get it to net zero was to add the solar panels to the roof.” Refitting an existing building is, he adds, better environmentally than demolishing an existing structure on a brownfield site and starting again.

“A lot of PLCs and other organisations are now being told that they have to consider refurbishment. “Unless it’s a virgin site, it’s too easy to knock down and build again. But that process is a lot dirtier. As soon as you demolish something, you lose the embedded carbon that is in the building.”

The company is now working on refurbishment of developments it owns at Broadway Park at The Gyle in Edinburgh and the Ocean Terminal shopping centre in Leith. Once again, the aim with these is to achieve net zero carbon status. This is not always achievable, Mr Richardson says, but his company is committed to reaching this where and when possible.

“We do what we can and we’re proud of that. If we can manage to get to net zero, then that’s great. If not, then we will do everything we can to offer other things that people want. It’s the right thing to do.” 

www.theinkbuilding.com