Spirax-Sarco Engineering plc is a multi-national industrial engineering group with expertise in the control and management of steam, electric thermal solutions, peristaltic pumping and associated fluid path technologies. The group is a constituent of the FTSE100 Index of the London Stock Exchange and has around 9,200 people in 68 countries worldwide providing the engineered solutions that sit behind the production of many items used in daily life.
The group has three sites in Cheltenham, including the Grade II listed Charlton House in Charlton Kings that has been the company’s headquarters for almost 80 years. Charlton House had an extension in need of replacement. The leafy, suburban site sits next to the River Chelt, Cox’s Meadow, and many residential, two-storey houses. We were appointed to replace the current extension at the site with a contemporary, four-storey headquarters office that remained sympathetic to the listed building and was fully in line with the group’s ‘One Planet: Engineering with Purpose’ sustainability objectives.
The new building replaced the current offices and has remained connected to the Regency Charlton House. The curved structure wraps around the rear courtyard, with landscaping to integrate into the local context. Its contemporary appearance complements and respects the existing listed building. The building provides 180 workstations, flexible working spaces, a gym, breakout spaces, and an auditorium.
Our team has strived to make the design as sustainable as possible, and the building is due to be accredited with BREEAM ‘Outstanding’. This rating recognises the top 0.5% of sustainable new builds and is the highest rating BREEAM offers. We achieved an energy efficient building with features such as solar glass, heat pump technology, and materials reused from the demolished structure.
The redevelopment of the building offered an opportunity to enhance the outdoor space and create a haven for nature to thrive in line with the group’s focus on biodiversity. New trees, planting beds, and a wildflower garden have also helped to improve the site's biodiversity. Further ecological enhancements include a wildlife pond, bat and bird boxes, and an insect hotel.
The new building creates an excellent working environment, providing flexible spaces and connecting Spirax-Sarco Engineering’s people with nature in their work environment. With a projected lifespan of at least 50 years, the new office provides a striking, modern working environment for the future which blends in with the local surroundings and respects both the building as well as the company’s long heritage in Cheltenham.
