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Extended case studies
Extended case studies
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Extended case studies
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Extended case studies |
Extended case studies The Hockerton Housing Project (HHP) is an innovative, sustainable development in the village of Hockerton near Southwell, Nottinghamshire. The architects were Professor Brenda Vale and Dr Robert Vale, whose own ground-breaking home in Southwell pro-vided much of the inspiration and know-how for this project. It was completed in September 1998, after three years of planning and 18 months of construction. It has been designed as one of the first zero energy residential systems in the UK, reducing life cycle energy to a minimum. Its houses are amongst the most energy efficient, purpose-built dwellings in Europe. The construction of the project made the maximum use of benign, organic and recycled materials and the development is designed to be, to a large extent, self-sufficient. The houses are earth covered and have passive solar heating, without a space heating system. A wind turbine and photovoltaic system provide all of the energy required to run the homes. The water and sewage system is self-contained.
The homes consist of a terrace of five single storey dwellings which are earth-sheltered at the back, so that the ground surface slopes and blends smoothly into the landscape. Each house is 6 m deep with a 19 m south-facing conservatory running the full width of each home. A repeated modular bay system was used for ease of construction. Most of the internal rooms have 3 metre high French windows that open to the conservatory. Those rooms that are not so dependent on natural light, such as utility and bathing areas are located towards the rear of the homes. The development is located on a 10ha site that was previously used mainly for agricultural purposes. Such a large area has allowed the incorporation of features that enable the occupants to live in a sustainable and self-sufficient way. This includes crop cultivation and the rearing of small animals. It has also allowed for large water catchment for the homes and waste disposal via a reed-bed system.
In response to increasing visitors, a new learning resource centre is currently being built. This will include a dedicated audio-visual room, seminar facilities and permanent exhibitions. The building itself will be built to similar high environmental standards as the homes, including meeting the zero heating and zero carbon dioxide standards. For further information: The Millennium Green development at Collingham near Newark started in 1999 and consists of 24 dwellings and a business centre. The houses boast a variety of energy saving features and have been constructed of materials that have low environmental impact, such as timber from managed forests and insulation made from recycled newspapers. As a result, the houses will cost 50 to 70 per cent less to run than an equivalent standard new house, and a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions of up to 70 per cent will be achieved. The houses feature three times the 2000 building regulations insulation level, argon filled low E windows and ventilation with heat recovery. Their principal glazing is on the south elevation to maximise light and heat gain. The houses cost 10 per cent more than standard houses to build and therefore to buy, but this premium is counter-balanced by cheaper running costs and more durable materials. The environmental aspects of the houses in terms of insulation, materials, glass and layout are used as a “unique selling point”. The developer, Gusto Homes, is locally based and has gained national distinction for its environmental management. For further information: Jubilee Campus, University of Nottingham The Jubilee Campus represents a major expansion of the University of Nottingham on the former Raleigh site (some 12.14 hectares) in Radford. Opening in October 1999 and costing approx. £50 million, the campus houses three faculties as well as three halls of residence (accommodating 750 students), catering facilities, lecture rooms and a Learning Resource Centre.
An exacting environmental brief for the project was developed by the University. This required making optimum use of an existing mature tree belt and promoting nature conservation, whilst providing high quality working facilities for teaching and research. The campus buildings are arranged along the edge of a man-made lake with the distinctively shaped Learning Resource Centre located on an island platform. Each of the faculty buildings consists of three-storey wings connected at the rear with a stair tower; they are linked by full height glass atriums and clad with cedar. The building work began in 1997 and where possible existing resources were retained, such as spoil and demolition materials which were used to shape the landscape. Innovative materials and new technologies were used to develop highly efficient ventilation, heating, cooling and lighting systems for the complex. In 1998, the University was successful in obtaining an EU ‘Thermie’ grant. This enabled it to develop and use advanced systems to come closer to achieving its goal of running a ‘zero-energy’ campus. Wind cowls were added to the air outlets to improve the draw-through of exhaust air. The majority of roofs incorporate both ‘green roof’ technology and photovoltaic panels (some 450 sq. metres in total). These panels produce enough energy each year to drive the ventilation fans for the buildings. Modifications were also made to improve daylight penetration, through the use of light pipes, low energy lighting and sensors. It is estimated that these buildings at Jubilee Campus are 60% more efficient than the older buildings at the University Park campus. For further information: The Sherwood Energy Village (SEV) is located on a 91 acre former colliery site at Ollerton. It is a major sustainable regeneration initiative and by 2004 has reached an early implementation stage. The initiative started in 1994, on the day that the colliery closure was announced, and the local community was consulted about what they wanted to see built on the site. An Industrial and Provident society was set up in 1996 ensuring that the SEV organisation is democratically run through its share-owning membership and is committed to applying its profits for community benefit. After acquiring the site and raising funds for new infrastructure and marketing, land reclamation was undertaken in 2000. From the outset, after decades of a harsh coal mine dominated landscape, the emphasis has been on a clean environment and high energy performance in the design of new buildings. The transformation is already well underway and will feature some 185 dwellings, comprising eleven different housing types, together with industrial units, prestige offices, and leisure uses all surrounding a central park. SEV’s design principles are based not only maximising energy efficiency but also on design for comfort, safety, sense of place and community. It is keen to source appropriate materials, promote biodiversity, address waste streams and employ renewable technologies – where energy use cannot be designed out. It has pioneered the UK’s largest sustainable urban drainage scheme (SUDS) -where engineered swales conserve and treat surface water run-off. Private developers have enthusiastically embraced the higher environmental standards promoted by SEV. For example, an architectural practice has built its own head offices, which will use ground source heat pumps for both heating and cooling, and has plans for expansion.
More recently Centre Parcs has selected the village for its own new HQ building. East Midlands Development Agency (EMDA) has invested in a ‘Sustainable Construction Pilot Project’ involving 6 speculatively built industrial units (see picture), with natural light from skylights and such high levels of insulation that they can be heated from an ordinary domestic boiler. The proposed mix of eleven housing types has attracted much attention, (ranging from apartments to earth-sheltered dwellings). Care will be taken in creating a sense of place, in orientation and profiling against prevailing winds. Each householder moving to the Energy Village will receive a SEV Guide to help with life-style choices for sustainable living. For further information: |
To save on electricity use, low energy lighting, grade A electrical appliances and a central vacuuming system are used throughout. Integrated flat plate solar panels generate approximately 60 per cent of hot water requirements and taps and showers use aerated water to reduce the amount of water used. Recycled rainwater from the roof is used for toilet flushing, running washing machines and watering the gardens.
