balance out the energy requirement as much as possible.

User Friendly Control
The project marks an investment of nearly £4 million from Gateshead Council, One NorthEast through the TyneWear Partnership and also European funding. The Gateshead International Business Centre was designed from day one with energy in mind. The four-

The building uses 125 photovaltaics roof panels and 36 façade panels - incorporating 13,842 cells - to generate up to 34kWp of electricity per hour to contribute to its running. The sophisticated heating and cooling system cleverly transfers the warmth generated in offices on the sunny side of the building and offices with high equipment gains to heat the cooler offices and

CASE STUDY

International Business Centre Gateshead

R2 helps ensure Gateshead is super energy efficient
Mitsubishi Electric's heat exchanging R2 variable refrigerant flow (VRF) air conditioning system, installed by Hadrian Air Conditioning, has been proving itself over the summer at the innovative International Business Centre in Gateshead which was designed and built to provide one of the most energy efficient office spaces in the North-East.

storey building has 51 offices, a reception, utility rooms & informal meeting rooms with hi-tech ICT facilities.

With a brief for independent temperature control in each room and the possibility of tenants taking up adjacent offices, a cassette in each office gives good user comfort and control of their own environment, whilst the G50 controller lets the centre manager apply time and temperature limits as necessary. Hadrian Air Conditioning then linked the G50 controller to the centre manager's PC allowing him, with the aid of friendly software, to adjust local set points and running times to meet each client's needs.

Gateshead Council developed and designed the building to appeal particularly to companies involved in the creative and media industries and international businesses who trade 24 hours a day throughout the globe via the internet.