Wolseley opened the UK’s first commercial showcase for sustainable building products and construction methods in April 2008. The Wolseley Sustainable Building Center, at Leamington Spa in Warwickshire, aims to accelerate the UK building industry’s move to embrace sustainable construction.
Built at a cost of £3.2 million, the 6,800 sq ft Sustainable Building Center is a living, interactive centre for decision-makers throughout the construction industry. The unique new building helps make sustainable building a reality. It enables all involved in construction - from architects through to jobbing builders - to experience the latest technologies and the widest range of sustainable, energy-efficient and recycled building products. For the first time it brings together information about 7,000 sustainable products that are available now, through Wolseley’s 1,600 branch network.
The Sustainable Building Center attracts great interest from some of the UK’s leading developers and property companies engaged in major building programmes. Even before its official opening, more than 100 visits to the Center had been scheduled by customers and other interested groups. Since opening in April 2008 there have been over 8,000 visitors through the doors.
The building itself features 170 types of products, including: photovoltaics; micro wind; sedum roof; e-glazing; natural lighting; natural insulation; green floor coverings; rainwater harvesting; biomass; ground source and air source heat pumps; low energy lighting; water saving devices; solar thermal; and sustainable urban drainage.