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Get Sust! Issue 15
Thanks to:
RES for invitation to visit their Beaufort Court HQ
Learning from experience
This issue wasn’t intended to focus on post-occupancy evaluation (POE), but that’s the way it has turned out - with a feature-length story on Beaufort Court, the HQ of wind-farm company RES; and several related news items.
In similar vein, thanks to everyone who gave feedback on the ‘format’ of Get Sust! Some minor changes have been made this time - notably putting the main text of the Feature on the website instead of in this e-mail; more improvements may follow. Keep the suggestions coming. In particular, the Careers section is a bit thin this month. Don’t forget that we will give your course or vacancy a mention in Get Sust - simply send details to: editor@get-sust.com. |
PhD project seeks researchers
Renewable Energy Sources, aka RES, has created a landmark headquarters at a former Ovaltine egg farm by junction 20 of the M25. Last month it opened its doors to groups of academics and journalists to present feedback on the building’s performance two years after RES took up residence. But there’s so much interesting data they could use a little help...
If we don’t look at a building’s performance once it is occupied, how can we ever hope to build better buildings? RES is to be praised for its willingness to take on this challenge... but the job’s not finished yet. As Bill Watts, partner at Max Fordham LLP pointed out, there are anomalies in the data gathered thus far that would make the subject of a very interesting and worthwhile PhD project.
Background
Beaufort Court, started life as Ovaltine’s egg farm. It was completed in 1932 in the Arts & Crafts style, as a state-of-the-art U-shaped home for happy hens (the U-shape allowing the ‘occupants’ maximum access to the sun to improve egg quality).
When RES encountered the site, the building had been derelict for 20 years. Studio E Architects was given the job of creating a headquarters office and visitor space (some 2670m2) within a budget that had to match the market value of the finished product. On top of that, the building was to have zero emissions and forge good community links - an important factor for a wind-farm company.
The resulting building skilfully retains the Arts & Crafts atmosphere, while incorporating the kind of ‘green’ technologies you would expect for a project of this kind. Inevitably, though, there had to be compromises - rainwater recycling and a proposed reed bed had to be sacrificed; and the designers now acknowledge that they could have improved insulation levels in the main building. Nevertheless, this is a relatively small site that packs in a lot of features - photovoltaics and solar-thermal panels, green roof, biomass-fired boiler, ground-water cooling and underground heat store, plus the wind turbine.
Winners and losers
The building has also won several national architectural accolades. Clearly RES and its staff are big winners. For the company, their building is a local talking point that can only serve to improve the public’s perception of wind power (only two letters of complaint were sent to local press - one claimed that the turbine was making the nearby canal choppy!). For staff, there is a pleasant, naturally ventilated working environment. The environment too, is a clear winner. This is a carbon neutral building; although gas is used, on-site generation of power off-sets this.
But what of the technologies?
The wind turbine, which is actually ‘recycled’ (it had already done seven years’ service on a Dutch farm), is currently generating more electricity than expected and is meeting needs of the building. Excess power is sold to Green Energy UK. On top of that an array of conventional photovoltaic (PV) panels provide 3MWh.
RES took on the ambitious challenge of growing their own biofuel on site. So far this has been disappointing. The Miscanthus (Elephant Grass) crop has been poor, which is thought to be the result of incorrect planting. In addition, they encountered problems with the hand-built biomass boiler (which lacks sufficient R&D support), and with handling of the biomass crop - which needs to be dried, shredded and loaded into a hopper that is not quite large enough for the job. Clearly manpower is as much an issue here as R&D. The biomass boiler is currently ‘resting’ and a gas-fired CHP unit is supplying the site.
The custom-built solar thermal panels plus heat store are proving to be a more reliable source of heat. Seven of these PVTs are fitted over the biomass storage building. The panels are a jumbo sandwich of glass, PV, water circulation pipes, copper backing and insulation. Heat is collected during the summer in a mini reservoir, specially built on-site, from where it can be extracted in winter months. Construction of the heat store (by a specialist reservoir contractor) and of the PVTs was a novel technical challenge, but it is paying off. Heat from the PVTs has succeeding in raising the stored water temperature to 30-degrees Celsius, and this is expected to improve after a few more seasons (despite insulation some heat is still lost to the earth). There is a lot of data on the performance of the PVTs and the heat store - and this has yet to be analysed (a PhD project-in-waiting).
Cooling in summer is provided by water from a borehole dug into the chalk aquifer below the building. (Once the water has cooled inward-bound air, it is fed into an irrigation system which is giving the Miscanthus crop a much-needed boost.) The designers report that this cooling system would have worked better if the cool water was pumped to a tank because they could have achieved a better coefficient of performance. There is also an issue of supply - in the summer of 2004 the borehole dried up temporarily.
Low-tech ‘issues’ at RES include the perennial problem of leaky fabric and tweaks to controls. But despite all the technology crammed into this site, there’s one factor that has yet to be adequately addressed - the occupants.
The designers report that the current load for the building is 80kWh/m2; whereas they had expected around half that. Up to 10kWh/m2 could be shaved off that total by conventional energy-saving measures such as good housekeeping - for example, switching off computers and other equipment when not needed.
This apparent lack of staff concern for energy use seems surprising, given the company’s overall environmental profile. It is tempting to think that staff do not give energy-saving a high priority because they know their electricity is coming from a renewable source (mainly the wind turbine), but that goes against a recent survey by the Sustainable Development Commission (see ‘news’ below), which found that people who have renewable technologies in their homes were more aware of the need to save energy. However, if RES is really serious about its ‘educational role’, perhaps it needs to make sure that more of its staff practice what they preach?
Overall, this building has many valuable lessons for clients and designers - not least that we shouldn’t overlook the impact of ‘soft-technology’ - i.e. the occupants!Learn more:
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• | Full details of Beaufort Court, including photographs, and data, can be found at http://res.esbensen.dk/ . |
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• | Key project partners were Studio E Architects (http://www.studioe.co.uk ); and Max Fordham LLP (http://www.maxfordham.com ). |
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• | See also http://www.res-ltd.com . |
| © Melanie Thompson 2005 | |
March of the micro-renewables?
Energy minister Malcolm Wicks has pledged more money for micro-generation technologies such as small-scale wind turbines, solar panels and air-source heat pumps.
The Low Carbon Building Programme (LCBP) will receive £30 million over three years. The cash will be used to fund single installations and larger-scale projects such as schools, leisure centres or remote villages that are not connected to the Grid.
Meanwhile, two Labour MPs are hoping that their Private Members’ Bills on climate change will speed up the UK’s action on greenhouse gas emissions. The Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Bill proposed by Mark Lazarowicz would require the government to do more to promote renewable energy sources; while Alan Whitehead’s Energy in Buildings Bill would herald a further change to the Building Regulations so that future buildings would include an element of micro-generation.
Finally, the Sustainable Development Commission has released its research into the way micro-generation affects occupants’ behaviour. The study, called ‘Seeing the light’, found that households with these technologies can understand and control their energy usage; whereas those without generally do not understand how they use energy. In particular, the visible presence of wind turbines or solar panels is a tangible reminder of energy use that can change behaviour for the better.Learn more:
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• | Details of the LCBP are at http://www.dti.gov.uk/consultations/files/publication-1505.pdf . |
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• | ‘Seeing the Light’ was published on 24 October by the Sustainable Development Commission. Download a copy from http://www.sd-commission.org.uk . |
| © Melanie Thompson 2005 | |
Timber award for Queen�s student
Roger Knipe, a student at Queen’s University Belfast has won the TRADA Timber Engineering Student Prize 2005. He had carried out a 1:5 scaled model experimental test of his proposed ‘folded plate’ timber-frame roof construction, and the judges commented that he demonstrated ‘an excellent understanding of engineering design assessment’.
Second prize went to Oliver Edwards, University of Nottingham.Learn more:
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• | See http://www.trada.co.uk/enews/nov05/8 . |
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PROBE-ing for more feedback
Few designers hang around to find out what life is like inside their buildings, but Bill Bordass and Adrian Leaman have made it their speciality. In a recent issue of the journal Building Research & Information, they report on progress since their PROBE studies, which date back to 1995.
The first of the three reviews the post-occupancy feedback techniques currently available, in particular, a new way for design and building teams to improve building performance – Soft Landings. This technique is described in more detail in the second paper, which is written by Mark Way and Bill Bordass.
Soft Landings was developed by Mark Way, following his first-hand experience of a client’s migration and early occupation of a corporate headquarters. Essentially, it is a way of working described in a ‘Scope of Service’ licence, which can integrate into existing procurement systems. It focuses on three stages – briefing/programming, hand-over, and aftercare.
This method is currently being piloted on a range of projects at the University of Cambridge, which sponsored initial development. The additional cost is expected to be less than 0.25 percent of construction costs – and the developers say this will be easy to recoup because there will be less rework, fewer snagging visits, and better information for future projects.
The third of this suite of papers describes 14 case studies that use a range of POE methods. Case studies look at relocations, refurbishments and refits, and phased construction projects.
Learn more: |
• | Sources: ‘Making feedback and post-occupancy evaluation routine 1: A portfolio of feedback techniques’ by Bill Bordass and Adrian Leaman; ‘Making feedback and post-occupancy evaluation routine 2: ‘Soft Landings’ Involving design and building teams in improving performance’ by Mark Way and Bill Bordass; ‘Making feedback and post-occupancy evaluation routine 3: Case studies of the use of techniques in the feedback portfolio’ by Bill Bordass and Adrian Leaman. |
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• | All three papers are free to view on-line at http://www.rbri.co.uk . |
| © Melanie Thompson 2005 | |
Dutch comfort
In The Netherlands guidelines for thermal comfort in buildings date back to the 1970s. But times have changed. We now know much more about people’s idea of ‘comfort’ and what conditions they prefer, so a team of researchers has developed new guidelines that should make buildings ‘feel’ better to occupants. The background to this work, and how these guidelines might be applied in practice are described in a research paper in the journal Energy and Buildings.
Learn more:
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• | Read ‘Adaptive temperature limits: A new guideline in The Netherlands – a new approach to building performance with respect to thermal indoor climate’ by AC van der Linden et al, in Energy and Buildings, 38, Issue 1, Jan 2006, pp8-17. This paper can be viewed in full at http://www.sciencedirect.com . |
| © Melanie Thompson 2005 | |
A new take on environmental assessments
Sustainability assessment - Criteria, processes and applications
by RB Gibson et al
The authors of this paperback would like us to re-think the traditional Environmental Assessment, which they suggest is too concerned with mitigating negative impacts. rather, we should look to the positive aspects of new developments, using ‘sustainability assessments’ instead.
Their book describes what these assessments might entail, and assesses useful tools and the practicalities of applying them to real projects.
Learn more:
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• | Sustainability assessment - Criteria, processes and applications’ by RB Gibson, S Hassan, S Holtz, J Tansey and G Whitelaw is published by Earthscan (ISBN 1844070514). See http://shop.earthscan.co.uk/ProductDetails/mcs/productID/438 . |
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Stocking-filler - solar energy guide
‘Solar energy pocket reference’ by Christopher L Martin and DY Goswami is a handy reference book for anyone interested in solar energy technologies. It includes data on solar angles, sun path diagrams, solar radiation, and radiative properties of materials. Photovoltaics, water heating, space heating, and system evaluation are also covered.
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• | ‘Solar energy pocket reference book’ by Christopher L Martin and DY Goswami is published by Earthscan (ISBN 1844073068), price £8.99 if ordered on-line via http://shop.earthscan.co.uk/ProductDetails/mcs/productID/674 . |
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New materials for ecological construction
‘Material Architecture: Emergent materials for innovative buildings and ecological construction’ by John E Fernandez is a series of essays on state-of-the-art architectural materials. The book aims to help designers evaluate and select the right materials for their project from the thousands of options available. It covers metals, polymers, ceramics, composites, and natural materials.
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• | ‘Material Architecture: Emergent materials for innovative buildings and ecological construction’ by John E Fernandez is published by Architectural Press, price £29.99 (or £26.99 via the website, below), ISBN: 0-7506-6497-5. |
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• | View a sample chapter at http://www.elsevier.com (choose Architectural Press). |
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Theory of whole-life costing
BSRIA, the research and consultancy organisation for construction and building services companies, is running a one-day workshop to explain the principles of whole-life costing. The event will use case studies to demonstrate the benefits of whole-life costing, and explain the practicalities. It takes place on 23 November at BSRIA’s offices in Bracknell, Berkshire.
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• | Full details are at http://www.bsria.co.uk (choose events) . |
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• | Cost to non-members: £287.87 (incl. VAT); BSRIA members pay £235 (incl. VAT). |
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Small-scale wind power in Scotland
BRE is organising a conference and exhibition that focuses on buildings-integrated wind power. Topics under discussion include: technologies; grant schemes; and planning issues. This one-day conference is at the Dynamic Earth Conference Centre, Edinburgh on 29 November (and will repeated at BRE’s Watford HQ on 30 March 2006).
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• | For further information visit http://www.bre.co.uk/events or e-mail: events@bre.co.uk . Delegate fee: £125 (incl. VAT) . |
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Energy-efficient heating
This CIBSE seminar on 8 December will help you to keep heating costs and harmful emissions under control without compromising on occupants’ comfort.
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• | Full details are at www.cibse.org . |
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Professional Diploma in Architecture: Advanced environmental and energy studies
The Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT), based at Machynlleth, Wales, and the University of East London (UEL) are creating a new course that will offer candidates exemption from the RIBA Part 2 examination (subject to confirmation).
The course will be run over 18 months as a series of six-day residential events at CAT and a residential Summer School in London. It will blend design and academic study, focusing on environmental issues. One particular benefit of the course is the opportunity for architecture students to work in a multi-disciplinary environment.
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• | The course starts in September 2006. For further details contact Alison Pooley. E-mail: a.pooley@uel.ac.uk . See also http://www.cat.org.uk/courses . |
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