Cadent Gas, Coventry – Bespoke Gullwing Shelter

The largest natural gas distribution network in the United Kingdom, Cadent Gas is the supplier of choice for 11 million homes and businesses across the Midlands and the North of England.

The company has recently relocated to a brand-new sustainability-focused headquarters in Coventry’s Antsy Park, with the building attaining a ‘very good’ BREEAM status.

Providing a positive work-life balance for staff members was a core tenet of their design ethos. The four-floor, 100,000-square-foot office space has a state-of-the-art gymnasium, restaurant, and leisure areas.

With employee well-being and environmentally friendly building practices at the heart of this project, our team was recruited to deliver a bespoke product to enable and incentivise staff members to cycle to work.

The solution 

Cadent Gas’s new headquarters is home to a team of 1,000 employees, and we were therefore tasked with designing and installing a bespoke, carbon-positive 100-Space Bespoke Gullwing Canopy.

Galvanised Sheffield stands were chosen to provide a hassle-free and secure locking option for bikes, designed to accommodate a bike on either side of each stand.

State-of-the-art solar panels were installed on the roof as part of the scheme’s drive towards renewable energy sources. The Bike Storage Company worked alongside other key contractors to deliver the scheme under a very tight completion window.

With a broad cantilevered roofline, the roof needed to be tested by our in-house structural engineer, designing a heavy-duty purlin arrangement to ensure full support under snow-loading and additional weight of the solar panels.

A clever central guttering system ensured a neat, efficient discharge of rainwater from the roofline, with several strategically positioned outlets placed along the length of the canopy.

The unit’s base plates were designed to be fixed below ground level, eliminating any potential trip hazard and creating a far cleaner look than when exposed. A jet-black powder coating of RAL 9005 was chosen to deliver a striking visual contrast to the surrounding sandstone block paving.

As Cadent Gas continues to decarbonise its operations proactively, it was great to support its strategic shift by delivering a sustainably orientated canopy that could incentivise cycle-to-work opportunities for its staff.

Product specification

• Bespoke 100 Space Gullwing Shelter
• Hot-dipped galvanised and powder-coated
• Roofing framework upgraded to support photovoltaic panels
• Strengthened box profile sheet metal roofing
• 50 Galvanised Sheffield Stands and integrated guttering
• Five rainwater disperses
• Shelter base plate fix below finished ground level
• BREEAM compliant