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START have received detailed planning permission for the construction of a new business innovation centre to be built on Anglia Polytechnic University's new Rivermead Campus in Chelmsford.
The brief demanded a 'landmark' for the new main entrance to the university, and it was also necessary that it should have a curved planform and a high degree of energy efficiency to tie in with the other buildings on the new campus which has been designed and masterplanned by Wilkinson Eyre.
The building which will have a concrete frame, will use its own thermal mass and tempered fresh air to passively cool the building, and external polycarbonate sunshades along the long elevations, will allow maximum daylight penetration into the workspaces, whilst dramatically reducing solar heat gains.
It will have 4,500 m² (48,439 sq ft) of (gross) space on four floors, most of which will be used for the prime function of providing innovation and incubation space for growing and start-up businesses. Additional accommodation will also be provided for APU departments and other agencies involved in business support in the area.
START Centre 2,250 m² (24,219 sq ft) net
Pre-let to APU 990 m² (10,656 sq ft) net
Speculative space 360 m² (3,875 sq ft) net
We expect the Chelmsford Innovation Centre (CIC), which will be operated by START Chelmsford, to start on site in the middle of 2005, and to open for business in the middle 2006.
Most of the tenants will be businesses in their second stage of growth but some subsidised accommodation will be provided for start-ups. The operation will also act as a virtual incubator by providing encouragement, support, business planning and financial advice to non-resident start-ups.
Working in partnership with APU, START Chelmsford will offer tenants a unique opportunity to access the knowledge and expertise of a university on the doorstep.
To facilitate this APU will provide:
