SUSTAINABILITY, energy-efficiency and recycling are buzzwords, usually used as descriptions for modern architectural developments.

Riverside House part of the UK Land Estates' Waterfront Development at Newburn Riverside embodies these concepts, with the resultant building incorporating many features which set it at the vanguard of environmental good practice.

Its designers have taken time to influence the design of buildings to not only maximise their economical viability, but to minimise their environmental impact and improve social welfare.

The innovative design for the Waterfront development is part of an on-going regeneration project, seeing the 220-acre at Newburn Riverside transformed from a disused Stella North coal fired power station and the Anglo Grate Lakes graphite works to a prestigious industry park.

The park has already attracted many major clients, including DEFRA, the NHS and regional development agency One NorthEast.

They are among the first tenants to benefit from a design focused on ensuring that the Waterfront is a pleasant place to work and do business.

It features a series of interlocking green squares across the site to create a central axis anchored by Riverside House and the Quadrant office buildings.

An environmentally friendly travel plan encourages car-sharing, public transport and cycling, all factors contributing to the reduction of vehicles at the heart of the scheme.

The creation of a sustainable workplace has been further addressed through the careful design of the buildings.

Both Riverside House and the Quadrant have been assessed using BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Energy Assessment Method) to test the level of their sustainability credentials. Both have received "Excellent" BREEAM ratings.

Riverside House incorporates insulation that doesn't use harmful CFC and HCFC gases during their manufacturing process, thus minimising their impact on the ozone layer.

Timber for the project was sourced from suppliers who maintain a forestry stewardship policy, which ensures that felled trees are replaced thus helping to prevent deforestation of the planet.

A dedicated refuse store allows segregation of waste materials for recycling purposes, while rainwater is collected, filtered and then reused for the flushing of toilets and external irrigation.

A further design aim was to increase the energy-efficiency of the building, which coincided with the nationwide introduction of the new building regulations, which set out stringent targets for the reduction of energy use within new buildings.

This involved increasing the building's insulating qualities, reducing solar gain via a system of Brise-soleil and high performance glazing, and ensuring the air tightness of the building envelope.

In January this year, Riverside House became the first building in the region to pass and exceed the new building regulations standards for air tightness, and one of the first in the entire UK.

The Waterfront Development has been designed by Killingworth-based architects, FaulknerBrowns.

Its senior partner, Neil Taylor, said: "We have long upheld a strong commitment to sustainable design.

"Our aim from the outset of the Waterfront development was to work closely with our client, UK Land Estates and the design team to create a sustainable development from the master plan through to the individual buildings.

"The creativity of the design and uniqueness of the setting has attracted quality tenants to the Waterfront."

Gary Hudson, development director for UK Land Estates, added: "Our sustainable approach to development has helped us to create working environments, which will be both socially and economically beneficial to our customers.

"The Waterfront demonstrates our commitment to sustainability and how we intend to evolve our development programme for the future.