Pure Offices provides high-quality private office space for organisations of all sizes across the UK. Their Hillington, Glasgow site offers flexible, well-designed workspaces with a strong focus on tenant well-being and adaptability. The building comprises unfurnished office suites, allowing tenants to configure the space to meet their exact needs.
Project Requirement
Pure Offices engaged Spectra Energy Group to review their Glasgow site’s energy consumption and support their wider Net Zero strategy.
The client advised an annual electricity use of 311,000 kWh, with an estimated building electricity cost of £0.40 per kWh. Our initial solar PV modelling projected that Pure Offices would directly consume approximately 98% of on-site solar generation, maximising system value and carbon reduction.
The project brief was to design and build a new Solar PV system that would reduce grid demand, lower operational costs and accelerate Pure Offices’ decarbonisation programme.
Spectra Energy Group Delivery
Spectra Energy Group acted as Principal Contractor, managing the full project lifecycle under normal working hours. We provided:
- Full Principal Contractor (PC) responsibilities
- A comprehensive Construction Phase Plan
- A structural roof survey
- Full roof edge protection
- Controlled access and egress to the north end of the building to avoid disrupting tenants
Our responsibilities covered full design and build (D&B) deliverables from feasibility to
Design & System Selection
Spectra Solar is fully MCS accredited. Although certification is not required for systems over 50 kW, our design and installation processes followed all industry best practices.
The final solution utilised a SolarEdge system, designed to maximise output, enhance safety and mitigate shading losses.
System Specifications
- 228 × 500W solar panels
- 1 × SolarEdge 90 kW inverter
- 114 × SolarEdge optimisers (two panels per optimiser)
Key Design Considerations
- Full building survey and feasibility assessment
- Expected ROI of just 4.1 years
- Panel-level monitoring for enhanced diagnostics
- Optimisers chosen to significantly reduce shading impact and increase generation
- 12-year standard inverter warranty
- 25-year optimiser warranty
- Industry-leading RMA turnaround times
- Advanced system safety features
Installation Works
Although the project was non-notifiable, Spectra elected to adopt full safety and compliance procedures, including:
- Issue of the Construction Phase Plan, SSOW RAMS, and all insurance documents
- A detailed programme of works outlining start, commissioning and completion dates
A structural engineer was engaged to assess roof load capacity for the proposed system. The structure was confirmed suitable, and certification was issued to proceed.
On site, an SMSTS-trained Project Engineer managed:
- Installation of Heras fencing (3.5m W × 2.5m H) around the scaffold tower
- All required site safety signage
- Controlled access management to ensure tenant and public safety
The installation was delivered within three weeks, followed by full system commissioning and handover.
End Result & Client Feedback
Pure Offices expressed strong satisfaction with the project, praising the high-quality installation, smooth delivery process and minimal disruption to operations.
The new Solar PV system is performing exactly as designed and now represents the largest solar installation across the entire Pure Offices UK portfolio.
This project marks a significant milestone in helping Pure Offices advance toward their Net Zero targets, and the client has expressed interest in continuing the partnership on future decarbonisation initiatives.
Project Details
- Category: Solar
- Location: Pure Offices Hillington Park 1 Ainslie Road Hillington Glasgow G52 4RU