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Wednesday 30 June 2004
Thanks to:
Architectural Press for books to be reviewed.
Sustainability the Swedish way
Bo01 is an experiment in sustainable living at Malmo on the Swedish coast. Developers of this ‘City of Tomorrow’ have ticked all the right boxes to ensure their concept is ‘sustainable’ - but is a check-list enough to guarantee the future of a major sustainable community? Eleven UK-based PhD students went to Sweden to find out...
The 800 apartments that are the first phase of the City of Tomorrow should need just 105kWh per square metre (around half the typical Swedish energy consumption), and there is provision for all this energy to be delivered from renewable sources - an off-site wind turbine, integrated photovoltaics, solar collectors and a ground-source heat pump. On top of that, all other aspects of sustainability have been considered - from site layout and choice of building materials, to transport and recycling facilities.
Reviewing the scheme’s energy strategy, Antonio Aguilo-Rullan (Open University) reports that the designers have attempted to control energy consumption through the architecture, technical systems, construction engineering and the behaviour of the occupiers. However, the consumption targets have been consistently exceeded, partly because the computer model that the designers used was inadequate (e.g. it did not account for the effect of the wind), and because they made incorrect assumptions about occupants’ preferred indoor temperatures. Lessons learnt will, of course, be carried forward to the next phase of development.
Steven Firth (De Montfort University) was impressed with the ‘green’ features of the scheme design:
‘Although building densities are high, the site is full of plants, green roofs, ponds and waterways,’ he writes. ‘A ‘green space factor system’ was applied to ensure that all the courtyards and streets have plenty of vegetation. One of the courtyards we saw was an entire pond, complete with rushes and decked walkways where residents could meet, sit and chat.’
One of the apartment blocks is made entirely of timber - the only one of its kind in Sweden. The scheme could be marked down, however, because the developers insisted on incorporating underground parking beneath the apartments to help sell the properties.
Overall, Steven Firth liked the architecture: ‘The use of different colours in the buildings - reds, blues, yellow - and all the different materials make it a visually stimulating environment.’
Robert Wall (also of De Montfort University), on the other hand, was struck by the ‘sterility’ of the environment:
‘Everything is clean and well ordered, but lacks vitality. There is no sense of social cohesion, or of community ownership or participation... Bo01 had the air of an exhibition rather than a living neighbourhood.’
Perhaps his mid-week visit was poor timing, or maybe reflected the cultural differences between English and Swedish city life. But the scheme is only two years old, and there is evidence that a community, of sorts, is growing. Last summer thousands of city residents descended on the district to take advantage of the regenerated seafront. Only time will tell whether Bo01 is a curiosity or a new heart for the city.
Learn more:
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• | Read the full report: ‘Sustainable development in Scandinavia; a report on the INREB Faraday Associate study trip to Denmark and Sweden, October 2003’, published shortly(July) at http://www.inreb.org. |
| • | Judge the scheme for yourself - see photos of Bo01 in the presentation given by Eva Dalman at BRE’s recent Resource04 conference. Download from http://www.resource04.com/presentations1.html. |
| © Melanie Thompson 2004 |  |
CIBSE Carbon 60 competition winners
A team from Fulcrum Consulting has won an innovative design competition that focused on refurbishment and management to reduce buildings’ energy use. Nigel Banks of the University of Sheffield (currently of ENSHMG, France) is the winning student entrant.
The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) launched the competition to highlight the importance of cutting buildings’ carbon emissions. The UK’s Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution (RCEP) says we need to cut emissions by 60% if we are to mitigate the impact of climate change. CIBSE set designers the challenge of finding the best way to cut emissions from its London headquarters by 60% in the next 10 years.
The Fulcrum Consulting team, led by Kate Crawford, focused on reducing demand by adopting a range of low-cost fabric improvements, plus strategies for generating a culture change in the building’s occupants. They also reviewed options for purchasing ‘green’ energy, and on-site generation.
Nigel Banks’ entry aimed for a zero-carbon site, putting energy-hungry office equipment at the top of the list for attention, but also recommended taking advantage of ‘free’ energy by installing photovoltaics and solar-powered absorption chillers.
Learn more:
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• | Full details of the winners and other commendations are at http://www.cibse.org (choose ‘carbon network’). |
| © Melanie Thompson 2004 | |
Task Group kick-starts sustainable building code
Last month the Sustainable Buildings Task Group (SBTG) published the distilled wisdom of the many sustainability and construction experts it has consulted.
The most significant conclusion of the report is the proposal for a new Code for Sustainable Building (CSB). This will set out best practice standards on energy efficiency, flood resilience, water consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and waste production, and will be based on the well-known assessment technique, BREEAM.
The SBTG has urged the government to set up a joint venture body by September 2004 to first establish and then manage the CSB.
The report also addresses the need to simplify the various advisory bodies, to review enforcement of the Building Regulations, and to introduce a labelling scheme for sustainable building products.
Learn more:
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• | The full report, and other background documents are at http://www.dti.gov.uk/construction/sustain/sbtg.htm. |
| © Melanie Thompson 2004 | |
Hydrogen-powered fuel cell test launched
Earlier this month (June), Energy Minister Steven Timms officially opened the first UK trial of a domestic-scale fuel cell system.
The fuel cell unit under test runs on compressed hydrogen, a zero-emissions fuel. If the trial is successful it could pave the way for similar devices for homes, large office buildings or small industrial facilities, using hydrogen either pumped directly to the plant, or converted from waste energy streams or biomass.
During the test, the fuel cell will power a combined heat and power (CHP) system that has been set up to supply electricity to a full-scale test house based on BRE’s Watford campus. Heat produced by the unit will augment the house's gas-fired central heating system. The test house mimics the requirements of a real home with a range of simulated occupancy patterns.
Learn more:
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• | The official opening of the trial was one event at Resource04, an exhibition of renewable and innovative energy efficiency technologies for buildings organised by BRE. Details are at http://www.resource04.com. |
| © Melanie Thompson 2004 | |
Specifying windows? It’s as easy as ABC
The British Fenestration Rating Council (BFRC) has introduced an energy rating system for windows. The system is comparable to the alphabetical energy rating of domestic appliances such as fridges and washing machines.
The underlying numerical rating adds up the three factors that contribute to the total energy balance of the whole window (frame and glass): thermal transmittance (U-value), solar heat gain, and air infiltration. This means that, at the moment, most windows in the UK will have a negative numerical rating (in kWh per metre squared per year), indicating that the window will lose heat over the full year.
The underlying numerical rating is then converted to an A to G rating, where A represents no heat loss (or slight gain), and G is -70 or worse.
The BFRC rating system, which is supported by the Energy Saving Trust, could become an alternative method for proving compliance with the Building Regulations, Approved Document Part L.
Learn more:
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• | Background about the system is in “The gain in panes” by Tony Whitehead, ‘Building’ magazine, 18 June 2004, pp62-64. |
| • | Visit http://www.bfrc.org. |
| © Melanie Thompson 2004 | |
Winners of the RIBA Awards 2004
Sixty-three new buildings across the UK and the EU have been honoured for their high architectural standards and their contribution to their local environment. The RIBA Award 2004 winners range from 30 St Mary Axe (Swiss Re Tower) in London to a steel maze in the Kielder Forest Park in Northumberland. The 63 winners will form the long-list for the RIBA Stirling Prize.
Learn more:
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• | The full list of RIBA Award-winners can be viewed at http://www.architecture.com/go/Architecture/Also/Awards_3245.html. |
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Daylighting: Natural Light in Architecture
by Derek Phillips
This is a book to pick up on a gloomy day. Its many bright and colourful illustrations will cheer the heart and inspire the mind.
The author says his aim is to encourage designers to ‘consider daylight first’, and he certainly presents a strong case for doing so; giving equal prominence to the human need for daylight and a view, and the energy-saving opportunities that daylighting can bring.
Although daylight is the source of the author’s inspiration, it is the ‘window’ that affords the view - a factor which some texts choose to overlook in their haste to discuss U-values and low-emissivity coatings. Here, windows are treated with dignity, firstly in their historical context, then brought right up to date with descriptions of contemporary shading options and futuristic ‘interactive’ windows.
Representing around two-thirds of the book, you would expect the case studies to be inspirational - and they are. Covering all the main non-domestic sectors (and two prestige dwellings), these examples demonstrate the power of daylight to create dynamic and atmospheric interiors - from Sainsbury’s Millennium supermarket in Greenwich, UK, to the Rothko Chapel in Houston, USA. However, one or two of the commentaries do not live up to the standard of the illustrations. Some give insufficient technical detail; others dwell a little on the background of the project. I could not find any text that explained why these particular buildings were chosen; it would have been good to hear the author’s personal opinions.
Occasionally though, the stories behind the designs slip through. For example, there were 17 roof designs considered for the Archaeological Museum of Delphi, and several were tested using a 1:18 scale model. Why the strange scale? Buy the book to find out.
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• | ‘Daylighting: Natural Light in Architecture’, by Derek Phillips is published by Architectural Press, price 41.99 GBP (pd). |
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• | Order copies from http://www.architecturalpress.com. |
| © Melanie Thompson 2004 | |
Energy and Environmental Issues for the Practising Architect
by Ian C Ward
This book aims to give architects and students of architecture an understanding of the complex issues involved in creating an energy-efficient and environmentally friendly building.
It is not a detailed technical manual, but instead presents an overview of energy and environmental issues, explains how the various design elements can affect the overall performance of the building, and discusses the initial design process. It also includes case studies of a range of buildings from across Europe.
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• | ‘Energy and Environmental Issues For the
Practising Architect’ by Ian C Ward is published by Thomas Telford, price 29.95 GBP (pb). |
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• | Order copies from http://www.t-telford.co.uk/HTML. |
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Looking ahead - CIBSE national conference
This year’s conference theme is ‘Delivering sustainable construction’. Well-known specialists from around the world will gather in London’s Docklands to share their insights and experience on new and innovative building services technologies and solutions.
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• | CIBSE National Conference, 29-30 September 2004. |
| • | Bookings: contact Jennie Sinfield. E-mail: jsinfield@cibse.org | |
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• | Book before 25 July and save 50 GBP with an early bird discount |
| • | Visit http://www.cibse.org for programme details |
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No break from the drawing board
Eco-conscious design students can’t rest on their laurels this summer - the deadline for the 2004 Ecohouse Design Awards is 31 August.
Open to any student (or group) in a School of Architecture, the challenge is to design an ecohouse for your own home town, wherever it is. It must be both comfortable, with areas of real ‘thermal delight’, and a real 21st century building, safe from climate change and able to survive with minimum fossil fuel.
First prize is 500 GBP, with cash prizes and books for runners up.
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• | Full details are at http://www.architecturalpress.com/companions/ecohouse |
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• | See Get Sust! no. 3 for a review of the 2003 prize winners http://www.get-sust.com. |
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Two valuable PhD studentships
INREB Faraday Partnership is offering two PhD studentships to monitor and evaluate the performance of the Sherwood Energy Village in the East Midlands. This will include energy and environmental monitoring of individual buildings, how people use the buildings, and how far they travel to work. The programme will also require work to be undertaken with the team which is designing and building new homes on the site.
Associates will be based at Sherwood Energy Village and will be registered to undertake a PhD programme at De Montfort University in Leicester. Both positions are three year full-time programmes starting in 2004.
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• | Further details are at http://www.inreb.org |
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• | CVs and expressions of interest should be sent in the first instance to Sarah Greenwood. E-mail: greenwoodsa@bre.co.uk. |
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Opportunities in building services
Haden Building Management is looking for bright graduates to become the leaders of tomorrow. Placements are available for a number of graduates to work at various locations throughout the UK in facilities management, building services and operational management.
The company offers a two-year flexible graduate training programme supported by individual mentors, coaching and structured training courses.
Starting date 6 September.
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• | Full details and application forms are at http://www.haden-bml.co.uk. |
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Wide-ranging engineering opportunities
Arup Group Limited, one of the world’s leading engineering consultancies, is seeking graduates to become involved in the design and construction of everything from a major bridge, a leisure complex, an urban railway or a communications tower.
All graduate vacancies start in September 2004
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• | Learn more and apply on-line at http://www.arup.com/careers/graduaterecruitment.cfm. |
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