Filwood Green Business Park has won a prestigious award in a scheme that rewards innovative projects that push the boundaries of sustainable business.
The £12m park, which was officially opened in May, collected the New Building of the Year accolade at the 2Degrees Network Champions Awards.
The annual awards are an opportunity for the members of the 2Degrees Network to vote for the individuals and companies. As a result, they are seen as a true reflection of what sustainability professionals see as the leading lights of sustainable development. 
2degrees is the world’s leading collaboration platform and service for sustainable business with more than 48,800 members from 177 countries.
Filwood Green Business Park is a flagship project of Bristol’s year as European Green Capital and is expected to create hundreds of jobs.
Its 40,000 sq ft of workshop and office space, designed by Bristol architects Stride Treglown and the first of its type in the South West, will offer sustainable workspace for small and medium-sized businesses.
Critical to the park’s success in the awards was its commitment to working towards closing the performance gap with a target of reducing 40% in CO2, saving the equivalent of emissions from 276 double-decker buses annually.
The park’s key features include:
• Guides for tenants on efficient operation of services
• Extensive photovoltaic (solar) panels
• The use of high-performance building materials to reduce energy demand
• Low water use appliances
• Two green roofs, one of sedum and the other grass and wild flowers providing important microclimates for the area’s insect and bird life
• Four dedicated electric vehicle charging points
• Sustainable travel plan including cycle storage and shower and drying facilities
• Native tree planting, bird boxes and wildlife ecology zone
The park’s design had already achieved a BREEAM Outstanding status in 2013, the only one of its kind in the South West, and was awarded with a ‘highly-commended’ judgment at last year’s BREEAM awards. The building is also designed to support business productivity.
The concept of building a green business park came from the community during consultation on local regeneration as a part of the Knowle West Regeneration Framework. It forms a key cornerstone of the regeneration plans in place for the Filwood Park area.
Mayor of Bristol George Ferguson said: “This is an excellent achievement and one that the Filwood Green Business Park fully deserves. The project is a testament to our ambition as European Green Capital to reduce our impact on the climate and our local environment.
“To achieve BREEAM Outstanding at Design Stage, and highly commended at the BREEAM awards in 2014, set expectations at a very high bar. The green business park is well on course to becoming the highest performing building in the South West. This latest award represents a sign that it is already fulfilling that promise.
“I believe that the site is now the South West’s prime example of the benefits that can be achieved through collaborative working and long term environmental planning, and long may it continue.”
The £11.7m funding for the project is in part met by Bristol City Council with £5.49m from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and support from West of England Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) Revolving Infrastructure Fund, which is in turn supported by the Government’s Regional Growth Fund.
The development forms part of wider plans to regenerate Filwood Park, which is being led by the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) and also includes provision for new park and up to 150 new and affordable homes.
The park’s team collected the award in front of a packed crowd at the ceremony in Porchester Hall, London.
