Quilt Direct Environmental Policy

Our Environmental Policy is as follows:-

• Compliance with legislation
• Prevention of pollution and reduce the impact on our environment
• Recycling of waste and materials
• Reducing consumption of materials
• Conserve energy and natural resources
• Reduce, reuse and recycle
• Adopt green procurement practices
• Awareness and training of our employees
• Efficient use of water and materials
• Noise disturbance
• Use of non toxic products and paints where possible

Our working practises

We use recycled packaging where possible

We work from home if we can

We share cars to the premises where possible

We switch off all appliances and lights when not in use

Use recyclable products where possible

Aim for paperless office working

The Building

The professional team were tasked with delivering buildings that achieved high quality environmental standards. The buildings have been designed using a restrictive pallet of materials to compliment their location within the Dartmoor National Park. These include a steel portal frame, with rendered panel walls, cedar panelling and green powder coated windows with slate sills. A key influence on the arrangement of the estate and its buildings is its position within the flood plain of the adjacent River Tavy. The site is designed to withstand a 1 in 200 year flood event. The team were to take a holistic and whole life approach to the building, the site and its sustainability credentials. This would include meeting a performance rating of “very good” using the BREEAM. In line with the development vision, the buildings are achieving a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions of between 20 to 30% compared to a legislatively compliant building. This is through the provision of a high performing building, with high levels or natural lighting and ventilation and renewable energy solutions.

Sustainability / development features:

The buildings benefit from the following sustainability features:

• Provision of high quality and high performing materials with low air leakage rates and high levels of thermal insulation.
• The buildings have natural ventilation and large areas of sky lights to provide high levels of natural light
• The buildings are fitted with Brise soleil units where required which along with established planting provide solar shading to the office areas.
• The buildings are fitted with water saving devices including spray taps and low flush cisterns
• The site has the benefit of surface water attenuation and protection against a 1 in 200 year event as opposed to a standard 1 in 30 year event
• The site has its own sewage treatment plant providing off line treatment to a secondary standard without the need for transferring to a main line treatment plant.
• The building has covered storage facilities for cycles. 
• The building is equipped with space heating systems based on ground source heat pumps. The heat pumps provide hot water to underfloor heating in the office elements and conditioned air via heat exchangers in to the workshops. The heat is extracted via a series of twelve 73 meter  deep boreholes. These provide up to 60 kWth of heat.