Sustainability of Our Building

50% of the UKs carbon dioxide emissions come from lighting and heating
buildings, construction materials accounts for a further 10%. As stated in the
brief it is essential for the design to be low carbon, we want to ensure this by
creating a sustainable building, which uses the least amount of energy but lasts
the most amount of time. There are three parts of the building we have
concentrated on:
Materials
Layout
Services

I will be discussing in depth how we propose to make each factor sustainable.

Materials
When deciding on the materials we asked the following questions:
Where are they from? We wanted materials that do not impact the
environment, such as sustainably sourced trees that do not contribute to
deforestation. Transport distance was also taken into account.
How long do they last? A balance needs to be found with how long the
material lasts and how much energy it takes to produce it. If a material
has a short life span it shall be replaced often.
How easily can they be disposed? Materials that can be recycled or
reused will significantly decrease a projects carbon impact. It is not only
at the end of a buildings life that materials are disposed of. It is estimated
that 13% of new materials delivered to site end up in the skip. By using
recyclable materials along with more accurate orders of materials, it is
possible to cut carbon emissions significantly.

Taking these questions into consideration we have chosen the most suitable
materials for our design. The first material in our design is external wood
cladding for our walls. Wood is the most environmentally friendly structural
building material. Our cladding will come from local sustainably sourced trees.
The lifespan of wood cladding is dependent on how well it is treated, if the
guidelines are followed it can last over 50 years. Finally wood cladding is 100%
biodegradable which makes it the perfect material.

Our roof shall be made from Corrugated steel. This material can be completely
recycled. The corrugated design makes it light and strong, which means less steel
is used and less framework is needed. This type of roof can last more that 50
years, making it the optimum choice for our design.

Straw bales shall be used for our external walls. They shall act as insulation and
the wall structure. Straw can be locally sourced across the U.k and is a waste
product of farming. It has a low U value of 0.13 which will increase the buildings
energy performance. Straw bales are also 100% biodegradable.
Another material to be used is a grass roof. The environmental benefits of green
roofs are widely recognized and are listed below:
High water retention which reduces the likelihood of flooding
Absorbs greenhouse gases
Creates a habitat for animals and plants
Protects the roof from mechanical and UV damage (increases roof
lifespan)
Provides extra insulation

Sheeps wool insulation is to be used for the internal walls of our building. It shall
act as a sound and thermal barrier within the wall. This material is made from
100% pure wool and is extremely efficient. It can be sourced from local farms
across the Uk and is 100% biodegradable.

Layout

There are three main factors we have considered when designing the layout of
our building:
Orientation
Future use
Function

The front of our building shall be south facing, this shall allow as much light as
possible to enter the atrium which will increase solar gain and decrease heating
and lighting costs. All facilities such as the kitchen and toilets are located in the
center of the floor plan. This allows it to be accessible wherever you are in the
building, thus reducing the need for extra facilities.

From the brief we concluded that the conference hall would not be occupied as
much as the offices. We decided to isolate the hall at one end so that we could
shut off the heating when not in use. Being able to shut off the heating will
reduce costs and energy consumption of the building. Finally the building has no
internal load bearing walls. We want any future occupier to have the option of
changing the layout this will increase the lifespan of the building.

Services

When considering what building services we shall use we have to consider the
energy consumption, cost of installation and effectiveness. The services cover
the cooling heating lighting and ventilation of the building.

Our design shall not have any mechanical cooling such as air-conditioning as the
client specifically did not want this. We shall use natural ventilation instead. We
have many ventilation windows around the building, as well as vents in the
atrium.

The glass atrium and multiple windows shall also allow light into the building.
This shall reduce the lighting costs. This natural light design shall make the
building more sustainable as natural light is scientifically proven to increase the
productivity of its occupiers.

The roof shall also have solar panels, these panels shall be used for heating the
building instead of gas. The use of these panels will reduce the carbon usage of
the building making it more sustainable.

Overall we believe the design of our building creates a sustainable structure

which will last for years to come.