Sapphire House

Deep in the heart of Hayle Business Park is the new headquarters office building for Aspects Holidays. While the surrounding buildings are the standard steel frame and aluminium clad industrial units one would expect to find in that location, the client was keen for their building to stand out, both in terms of appearance and environmental performance.

Set within a heavily landscaped plot, the building is clad in a combination of cedar shingles, which wrap up the walls and over the roof, and cedar cladding, which accentuates the gable ends and forms the detailing between windows.

A generous double height entrance lobby welcomes staff and visitors and while the reception area fronts the open plan office behind. The structural glulaminated timber frame supports the walls, which are finished in a natural clay plaster, and the roof, which is finished in acoustically absorbent wood fibre panels. On the upper floor the glulams are fully exposed and the form of the building expressed to provide a beautifully light and airy office space. Insulation levels and air-tightness measures far exceed building regulation requirements, while high performance triple glazed windows complete the building facade.