Muse Developments and Blackpool Council have agreed a deal with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), to take the highly sustainable 215,000 sq ft office building at Talbot Gateway, which will become its latest regional hub in the North West.

The BREEAM 'Excellent' building – designed by renowned architects, Make – has been designed to be ultra-low energy, promoting sustainable development and wellbeing.

An inclusive approach to sustainability was taken to make sure the building will be as energy-efficient as possible, have high levels of insulation, along with air source heat pumps to provide low-carbon heating and cooling. Demand driven ventilation will improve indoor air quality while allowing energy savings during periods of reduced occupancy.

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During the scheme's inception, partners completed early-stage whole life and upfront embodied carbon assessments, to eliminate inefficiencies where possible and reduce the building’s whole carbon footprint. This results in the scheme aiming to reduce its upfront embodied carbon intensity to 800 kgCO2e/m2. compared with 1100kgCO2e/m2 for a typical office development.

Development is already progressing well on phase two of Talbot Gateway, with construction of a new 144-bedroom Holiday Inn hotel which is due for completion in 2022 and will bring over 50 new full-time jobs to the town. The scheme also includes a new tram terminus on Talbot Road.

Talbot Gateway is the innovative £350m scheme currently being delivered by Muse in partnership with Blackpool Council, which will see the creation of a 1.1m sq ft central business district and civic quarter. In addition to the hotel, the team has also delivered the 125,000 sq ft Number One Bickerstaffe Square, a Sainsburys supermarket and a refurbished 650-space multi-storey car park, alongside extensive public space.