Santander's Sustainable, Smart HQ: Unity Place
Unity Place, Santander's new headquarters in Milton Keynes, serves as a pioneering model for sustainable architecture, community integration, and advanced smart technology.
As smart building consultants, we worked collaboratively with Santander and their partners to transform it into a thriving, eco-friendly and technologically advanced workspace.
Project Overview
Unity Place was conceived as more than just a headquarters. It aimed to become a focal point for the community while championing sustainability and staff wellbeing.
The project's objective was to create a vibrant, multi-purpose facility that combines business, leisure and community under a shared ethos. Unity Place was designed to be an emblem of Milton Keynes' evolution, fostering pride and aspirations within the local community.
Sustainability and staff wellbeing were central to the project, evident by its achievement of a BREEAM 'Excellent' rating for environmental performance.
Our Role
Starting from Stage 3 of the design process, Nu Xform collaborated closely with Santander and the design team to devise a smart building strategy that aligned with the project's goals of energy efficiency and sustainability.
We played a pivotal role in incorporating smart technologies into Unity Place's infrastructure, including features, and energy usage data tracking.
A significant contribution was our involvement in the design and deployment of a purpose-built campus mobile application. This app seamlessly integrates with the building's functions, allowing users to perform tasks such as parking reservations, meeting room bookings, and visitor management.
Ongoing Collaboration
We recognise that a smart building initiative extends beyond the project's completion date. Support continued into Unity Place's settling period to offer data-driven analysis, custom monitoring, performance dashboards, and onboarding assistance for tenants.
This ongoing partnership ensured that Unity Place's smart capabilities remains optimised and responsive to evolving needs.
Results & Impact
The collaborative working relationships at the heart of this project led to the successful transformation of Unity Place as a cutting-edge, sustainable, and community-centred hub.
The close relationship between all the stakeholders facilitated the development of a comprehensive smart building strategy that catered to the project's vision and objectives. Whilst the smart technologies implemented within the building, from booking facilities to occupant experiences, enhance occupants' experiences.
Building a Roadmap for Future Capabilities
Looking toward the future, we provided a roadmap designed to future-proof the building. This covered provisioning for advanced layers of technology, such as enhanced digital interfaces, additional energy modules, and more granular monitoring systems.
We also made recommendations for further accreditation.
"Nu Xform's instrumental role in the Unity Place project has been truly transformative. As the director of this ambitious endeavour, I witnessed first-hand their unwavering dedication to our vision of a sustainable, community-centred headquarters.
From the very begining, Nu Xform's collaboration was marked by expertise and innovation, aligning seamlessly with our sustainability and efficiency goals."
Conclusion
Unity Place stands as a testament to the potential of integrating sustainable design and smart technology to create a landmark that not only serves as a corporate headquarters but also enriches the surrounding community.
This project showcases the significance of collaboration, innovation, and forward-thinking in shaping the future of workspace architecture and technology integration.
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