Member Article

Durham Greenhouse marks decade of small business support

County Durham’s first eco-building has celebrated ten successful years of supporting small businesses in the region.

The Greenhouse, at Stanley, is owned and operated as a social enterprise by charity Groundwork North East & Cumbria, which has offices within the building, and provides high-quality meeting and conference facilities alongside business units, which are currently at full capacity hosting 16 small-medium enterprises.

Opened in 2006 at a cost of £4.3m, The Greenhouse was designed to be a sustainable development and incorporated cutting edge eco-technology to limit the site’s impact on the environment.

The Greenhouse is powered and heated using environmentally-friendly means, including a 35metre wind turbine, a ground source heating/cool system and roof-mounted solar panels. Even the building’s L-shape was considered to maximise the sun’s light and heat potential.

Other energy-saving tactics employed at the three acre site include a passive ventilation system and a rainwater capture system that collects rain from the roof, which is then filtered and used on site, with any excess used to fill a lake at the front of the building.

During the decade since it first opened its doors many businesses have taken advantage of the Greenhouse’s facilities and a number of its original tenants still occupy offices at the site, including County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, specialist ecological consultancy Argus Ecology and AH Events.

Kate Culverhouse, Chief Executive of Groundwork North East & Cumbria, said: “It’s astonishing to think that The Greenhouse has been up and running for a decade. The project has been a huge success - it has supported local businesses, provided training and education opportunities for local people, and protected the environment by generating its own power, minimising energy use and promoting biodiversity.

“During its ten-year life span, The Greenhouse has created jobs, educated schoolchildren, produced millions of kilowatts of sustainable power, won multiple awards, and provides a lovely place to enjoy a lunch break.”

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