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Video: BDP's new Manchester studio

Delivering cost-effective sustainable buildings with low carbon footprints is going to be one of the major challenges for the construction industry in the 21st Century. Sustainability has been a key driver in all aspects of the design and delivery of BDP's new studio in Manchester. The building has been assessed as being carbon neutral during both its construction and the first 20 years of occupation. With the architecture and structure all designed by BDP themselves, the building is intended to act as a showcase for the sustainable credentials of the practice.

From the start, the objective was to achieve something innovative in the inner city context, with a building which worked passively. BDP's skills in structural design, civil engineering, environmental engineering and architecture were combined together to create a whole that operates with very low energy use, and provides good air quality and thermal comfort.

The six storey building provides over 3,000m² of open plan office space. Perhaps the most striking feature of the building is the stainless steel that covers the southern facade of the building and sweeps over the roof of the structure. The reflective stainless steel isn't just included for architectural purposes: it's heavily insulated, and intended to minimise solar heat gain.

This programme studies the architecture and structure of the building.