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Location, transport and community

WWF Scotland's new office, Dunkeld

The accessibility of the building to staff and visitors was the main impetus behind the relocation.

Moving from Aberfeldy to Dunkeld will benefit many of the locally-based staff. Other staff, and visitors who come from further afield, will benefit from the direct rail links between Dunkeld and Glasgow / Edinburgh / Inverness / Stirling / Perth.

Being located in a village, staff and visitors can walk to local shops and cafes for lunch and other shopping needs, thereby contributing to the local economy.

In terms of the local economy in Perthshire, Aberfeldy's loss is Dunkeld's gain (although WWF Scotland is hardly large enough to leave economic devastation in its wake!). In this project, the local economy generally benefits as a result of our preference for local materials and local contractors.

WWF's 'community' also includes its stakeholders, so securing goods from manufacturers who share our values is a worthwhile contribution to the community - for example, a group on the Isle of Skye who are providing garden furniture made from recycled pallets.

Providing a building that is accessible by wheelchair also plays a part in providing for the widest possible community. This facilitates a fair staff recruitment process and makes the building more welcoming to visitors. It is not always easy to get all the necessary measures into an existing building but the situation at WWF Scotland's Dunkeld office is significantly better than at the old office. Advantages include:

  • disabled parking spaces, on hard ground, nearest to reception;
  • disabled access ramp to the ground floor;
  • the layout has been planned in such a way that all the more public, communal areas are on the ground floor, as well as some of the offices;
  • disabled toilet on ground floor; and
  • low section on reception desk as well as on other surfaces

General
When designing a new building, there are many ways in which its location needs to be factored into the design. For instance, in consideration of climate and shelter, local building materials and expertise, etc.

In a refurbishment project, by far the most significant choice is the impact on transport requirements and on the communities affected by the development. Is better public transport provision required? Will congestion be increased? Is there enough parking - or too much parking if cars are to be discouraged? Can cycling be encouraged by providing safe bike racks, changing facilities and showers?

Green Travel Plans

Green travel plans can be developed to address the issue. They can:
  • promote car sharing;
  • offer rebates to workers who do not use parking spaces. This can free up parking space for more productive use;
  • provide safe cycle lock-ups, changing facilities and showers;
  • provide dedicated transport services for commuters, if public transport is inadequate; and
  • promote flexible working conditions, which permit some home working and avoidance of peak hour traffic;

The building design will need to reflect some of these priorities.

With regard to the building's relationship with the immediate environment, most of the decisions have already been made by the designers of the building, but there may be some opportunities for improvement. For instance, judicious planting can provide multiple benefits including additional shelter for the building and shading / cooling in summer, as well as the obvious advantages for biodiviersity.

A building's "community" includes several different groups. Many different distinctions can be drawn, but the following are some of the key primary types of communities related to this project:

  • Internal - employees who feel valued by their employers have been repeatedly shown to work harder, stay in jobs longer and pull together in times of crisis or pressure;
  • Visitors and supporters - a more sustainable office building must live up to the policy objectives of the occupier and owner: social inclusion being a particularly relevant issue. Not all visitors are confident, fit and able;
  • Neighbours - the surrounding area, its residents, workforce, transport links, tranquility and the economy all feel the impact, for better or worse, of construction and regeneration. Economic development opportunities within the local community should be realised wherever possible and opportunities for improving green spaces should be taken;
  • Construction team - those who design and construct the building. in the past, the industry has been heavily criticised in areas such as economic performance, efficiency and health and safety.