Work is progressing on site at the town’s Bridge Street Depot, which will serve as the base for the area’s grounds maintenance, waste management and golf operational staff.

The building will replace the existing temporary employee accommodation which is situated in the nearby council yard, providing much-needed new office space and welfare facilities for staff.

The flagship project has been designed and project managed by the sustainable design officer Paul Cassidy, with on-site construction phase quality control overseen by clerk of works Paul Cuthbert, both from the council’s in-house professional design services team. The mechanical and electrical design has been provided by Innovated Design Solutions and the civil and structural design has been provided by FLN Consulting Engineers.

The innovative project incorporates passive design techniques and as a result, the high-performance building is expected to maintain optimum energy efficiency during all seasons.

Every aspect of the design has been carefully planned to ensure maximum energy efficiency is achieved.

The building design, including its integrated systems, is projected to save eight tonnes of CO2 each year, which is the equivalent of planting 1,572 trees.

South Ayrshire Council’s portfolio holder for buildings, housing and environment, Councillor Martin Kilbride, said: “This is an impressive and innovative piece of work by our in-house Professional Design Services team. We’re raising the bar with this project, and it’s anticipated that the building will set a new standard in energy performance and internal environment quality.

“What makes the build even more impressive, is that most of the materials used in the construction are off-the-shelf.

“Our Neighbourhood Services team are out and about in all weathers, some dealing with all kinds of waste materials, so it’s important that they have proper facilities that allow them to carry out their roles and maintain their personal health, safety and well-being. These teams have been based in temporary accommodation for some years now, so I’m sure they’ll be looking forward to getting into their new space later this year.”

The pioneering project is expected to be completed in the final quarter of this year.