Client: UNISON
UNISON, the UK’s largest union with over 1.4 million members, have relocated their Yorkshire & Humberside branch to new premises at Quayside House on the south bank of the River Aire in Leeds–an increasingly prestigious area of the city and location of the largest and most ambitious regeneration scheme in Europe.
Solution:Positive was appointed as Building Services Consultants by Unison to advise on the Mechanical & Electrical Building Services for the bespoke fit-out of the 13,000 sq ft building.The appointment included a monitoring role on behalf of Unison, which ensured the works were completed in accordance with the Specification and Clients requirements.
Client feedback: “Unison had recently acquired the new head office building for the Yorkshire and Humberside region. Following initial purchase of the building, it remained vacant for several months as plans were developed for the internal fit-out, but during this period we were receiving extremely high electricity bills. We asked Solution:Positive to investigate the recorded energy usage with our EnergySupplier and meter operator, as well as carrying out an on-site investigation. They monitored the energy usage, arranged for the electricity meters to be tested and reviewed the Energy Suppliers recorded metering data. Thanks to their investigations and liaison with our Energy Supplier, Solution:Positive were able to identify and resolve the problem, enabling us to take back control of our bills. As the regional head office, the fit-out had to be to a high specification, whilst achieving our sustainability objectives and, from a M&E point of view, utilising energy efficient technology to make continued savings on our energy bills.
The existing mechanical plant was in good condition and had been well maintained and we wanted to retain and reuse as much of the existing plant as possible-updating it where necessary. A specialist fit-out contractor was appointed a to carry out the refurbishment and fit-out works, but we wanted some professional input and advice on which plant could be retained and what needed to be replaced and for this reason we employed Solution:Positive. Their input proved to be a crucial part of the project, demonstrated by their moneysaving solutions, invaluable contributions to the team meetings and being an all-round great asset to the team.Tony May (their director) is a modest guy with lots of experience, always willing to help, and with a professional, anything is possible attitude - he is very easy to work with. We will definitely be using Solution:Positive in the future.”
Angelo Teal - UNISON Property Surveyor