Technium 2, Swansea

New Technium 2 building in Port Tawe, Swansea

Facts and figures

  • Over 100 Interserve employees
  • Value: £4.15m
  • Office development for approximately 250 people
  • Flagship project at SA1 Waterfront, Swansea with iconic design
  • Technium 2 forms part of the Technium Wales network; a series of technology-led business incubation environments dedicated to providing the relevant knowledge, support and physical facilities to help young technology businesses realise their potential for long-term growth
  • Achieved a BREEAM Very Good rating

Technium 2 in Port Tawe, Swansea, designed for the Welsh Development Agency (WDA) to BREEAM Excellent standard, is an iconic landmark at the city entrance. Interserve was chosen due to its comprehensive service in Wales.

The facility houses 12 office units for research and development. All of the relevant services associated with such a development are available for the tenants. There is also accommodation for additional services at the individual tenant’s request. The design of the building’s facade has been dictated by the current topography and the linear extent of the site. The principal elevation has been curved along its full length in order to suit the site’s constraints and to create striking architectural form.

In order to reduce running costs a passive approach has been an integral part of the design utilising the building form and materials as a climatic modifier. Natural daylight has also been utilised wherever possible; all of the units are accessible via naturally lit circulation.

During the initial site assessment it was determined that most of the basement excavation was below the water table. The site team developed an innovative solution saving money by moving the groundwater around the site by creating lagoons. Whilst half of the site was being excavated the other half was virtually under water. This made working conditions difficult but achieved the objective.

The contract was signed in September 2002 and was completed in June 2003 on time. The project proved a major catalyst for further developments on the site. We provided an innovative, tailored solution to suit the WDA and demonstrated our flexibility in Supply Chain procurement, re-programming and re-configuring to suit the client’s requirements.

Impressed by the quality of workmanship, Terrace Hill Limited, who were about to develop the adjacent site, approached us and negotiated a design and build contract.