Delivering a modern, sustainable office for Zurich Insurance
Skanska’s team of experts have completed Unity Place in Bristol, the new UK offices for Zurich Insurance.
No challenge too big
Work began on the project in the height of the pandemic, which came with its challenges, coupled with the shortages of materials and labour, the team worked over a million-man hours to stay on track and complete the building for its customer.
Forging a strong relationship at an early stage meant the team could work closely with their customer and align their environmental goals. This enabled them to make responsible decisions shaping a sustainable workplace, that provides a flexible working environment, enhancing occupants’ wellbeing.
Skanska used a low carbon site set-up approach to realise Zurich’s aim of providing a sustainable environment for employees, through a climate-smart building. This saw the team work to identify every decision impacting carbon emissions, leading to an 85 per cent reduction when compared with traditional methods. This was achieved through innovations such as use of concrete-free site office foundations and swapping red diesel for hydrotreated vegetable oil to power plant and equipment.
Applying their knowledge and foresight, our team introduced digital solutions. One example is Open Space, which uses a suite of photo documentation tools, powered by artificial intelligence (AI) to capture and track vital work, providing data that can be viewed from any location interactively, using AI tools.
Throughout the construction of Unity Place, the team worked to create value for the communities surrounding the project, looking for opportunities to support employment. This included taking on local apprentices and demonstrating the exciting career opportunities available across the construction industry as part of the Open Doors event that welcomed young visitors to site.
