New Exeter Headquarters Tops Out
Champagne celebration for Atass
Oxygen House, the new bespoke headquarters building for ATASS Limited at Exeter Business Park has now reached a key milestone in its development, as the highest point of the structure has been completed.
To mark the milestone, ATASS MD, Mark Dixon, hosted a brief “topping out” ceremony to celebrate this symbolic moment in the building project. Some thirty-five members of staff, who shall be among the first occupants of Oxygen House later this year, enjoyed a champagne reception and a ring-side seat as they watched the final placement from windows of their current HQ, Admiral House.
The new development by Summerfield Developments will be one of the most significant ever to take place in Exeter, and will provide 40,000 sq ft of office accommodation. In addition, unique staff facilities are being provided for the health and well being of employees including an all weather sports pitch, gym and “chill out zone” for staff.
Head of ATASS Marketing, Vanessa Cobb, said “It’s a significant milestone, and we just can’t wait now for the whole building to be finished. Environment is everything and Oxygen House will provide us with an inspirational workspace, fit for our expansion plans, whilst supporting our goals in carbon reduction and energy efficiency.”
The ATASS Group of Companies was founded by statistician Mark Dixon, with the launch of ATASS Sports, a statistical modeling company, in 2000. Having maintained consistent growth throughout the recession, the research and investment group are in the process of launching a series of new ventures including micro-power generation company, ATASS Energy.
High on the company’s new build agenda was the need for their bespoke green headquarters to reach new heights of design and engineering feasibility in providing an environmentally friendly office. The building has been designed by Broadway Malyan Architects (designers of the Exeter based Met office building) to BREEAM Excellent and will have its own micro electricity generation on site in the form of photovoltaic cells.
A host of other environmental features have been incorporated into the design to maximise energy efficiency, including the use of intelligent lighting systems and air source heat pumps. Rain water will also be collected from the roof to be used in the building, minimising water usage.
Phil Wade, Senior Development Surveyor commenting on the development said, “There is a great sense of pride at Summerfield Developments to be developing such an outstanding and genuinely green building. The topping out at Oxygen House transforms these ambitious plans into a tangible and exciting reality, that once completed will become part of the gateway to Exeter”.
When finished, the final splendour of Oxygen House will help complete the transformation of J29 into the new inspirational gateway to Exeter; along with the soon to be completed new bridge over the M5 to the future science park.