They were designed as iconic landmarks to transform the skyline but the office blocks at Morton Palms, on the edge of Darlington, are also an outstaning example of environmentally-friendly design. John Dean reports.

IT takes a lot of effort for a building to earn an excellent rating under the national scheme to recognise environmentally-friendly practice.

But that has been achieved by the two office blocks which have recently been constructed on the Morton Palms industrial estate, off Yarm Road, on the eastern edge of Darlington.

The blocks have received the rating under BRE's Environmental Assessment of Buildings scheme (BREEAM).

Run by Watford-based BRE, which is owned by the BRE Trust, a registered charity, the scheme sets the environmental standard for new buildings.

The two Morton Palms blocks, the first on Darlington's newest business park, provide 71,000 sq ft of space and developer City and Northern has invested £10m in the project. Working with site owner Darlington Borough Council, One NorthEast also invested £2.5m.

Sean Gallagher, the architect who designed the blocks, said meeting environmental standards was a central part of the development. As a result, they meet, or have exceeded, all the elements contained in BREEAM.

He said they were examples of a turning point in the building of speculative units with companies placing much more emphasis on high quality developments, rather than constructing basic units.

One of the important environmental elements at Morton Palms was to create attractive surroundings, he said.

Mr Gallagher, associate architect with Red Box Design Company, of Newcastle, said: "The council wanted something iconic and a landmark feature, as well as something modern, but with elements of traditional construction.

"The blocks have been built on a fantastic location, on green fields that contained nothing of special interest, but on which we have created ponds that will encourage wildlife, including tadpoles and newts.

"The attractive appearance of the site is a key asset in encouraging people into the development."

Environmental features include maximum use of natural light with low windowsills and plenty of glass, measures to minimise drafts while allowing staff to open windows in the summer and high quality window glazing and insulation, all designed to reduce energy usage.

In addition, the office lights turn themselves off if no one is in the area and the boilers are "low-nox", minimising pollution.

Other measures include using local Yorkshire bricks, reducing the need for road haulage thereby cutting road pollution, and using wood from sustainable sources.

Mr Gallagher said: "The overall effect is a development that has low energy usage and uses materials from sustainable sources. The result is that they have gained an excellent BREEAM rating."

Published: 01/03/2005