Sustainable building services provision for three major Temple Quay Central schemes

Buro Happold has been working on the building service provision for three new developments in Temple Quay Central, as part of the long-awaited regeneration taking place in Bristol’s city centre. One of the projects, a large office block, is due to open this July, while two further residential blocks are about to go on site. For a fourth project, a footbridge over the River Avon, Buro Happold is designing the lighting. All are located in the Avon Street area, easily accessible by both rail and road.

Office block to open summer 08 with ‘Very Good’ BREEAM certification

The six storey office block, at 1 Linear Park, is located on a remediated brownfield site and totals 51,845ft2 “It’s the first of three high-profile office buildings in what is set to be the latest and most exciting commercial quarter of Bristol at Temple Quay Central – and an exemplar 21st century office development in terms of both aesthetics and sustainability,” said Gary Milliner of Stride Treglown Architects, who have designed the building.

Its services have been designed to be as environmentally friendly as possible, in keeping with the latest legislation, which has a commitment to substantially reduce carbon emissions.

As a result, the building has been awarded as BREEAM “Very Good” certification in recognition of the various environmental benchmarks it has achieved. It also exceeds the building regulations’ carbon specification, with a staggering 28% reduction in CO2 emissions compared to the Part L (2002) notional building requirements.

Thermal and solar gain have both been optimised, to reduce the heating and cooling loads on the building. As a result, the heating requirement is minimal, especially due to enhanced building materials and minimal leakage. Solar shading has been installed on the south-facing façade windows to prevent unwanted heat and glare.

Minimal heating and optimum natural lighting designed in

Similarly, the design has allowed for maximum daylight penetration, and Buro Happold’s building services team used a simulation model to investigate natural light entering the building and propose the appropriate level of artificial lighting accordingly, to avoid wastage.

Acoustic design is crucial to the building services provided too, particularly due to the stringent planning conditions imposed to ensure that each building in Temple Quay does not impact on its neighbours; not least in this case on the adjacent hotel. Internal noise limits also achieve BREEAM requirements.

“This is a fine example of a modern office block, where lighting, heating and water use have all been minimised due to both design and the materials chosen,” said Steve Clarke, Buro Happold’s project leader on the development. “We’re also delighted with the results our acoustic engineers have achieved in terms of avoiding noise pollution – and a small rainwater harvesting system feeds the green wall and tree planters.”

13-storey residential block going on site this month

The first of the two residential blocks, The Eye, going on site imminently, will rise to 13 storeys and will also boast environmentally-friendly building services. The energy efficiency of the mechanical ventilation system will be greatly improved by the addition of heat recovery to recapture the heat normally lost through the extracted air. Heating and hot water will be provided via central gas-fired boilers, and mechanical cooling will not be necessary. For this tower, Buro Happold also provided structural engineering consultancy; designing a flat slab construction whose reinforced concrete walls will provide ample stability in the face of prevailing winds.

Both residential blocks aim for a 20% reduction in carbon emissions, compared to 2002 building regulations

Buro Happold is also providing design for a lift system, telecommunications and lighting access, security and sprinkler systems and a smoke shaft. Low energy lamps are specified, external lighting are photocell-controlled, and the dwellings will be oriented to benefit from solar gain. All habitable rooms will enjoy both natural ventilation options and as much daylight as possible. Water meters and dual-flush toilets will be installed in all apartments.

The second apartment block, Affinity, going on site in July, will be six storeys high, with  11000 ft2 of retail space, 11000 ft2  office / workshops at ground level and approximately 170 new apartments on the upper levels. Similar services are planned, including the heat recovery ventilation, although heating and hot water will be provided by electric heaters, consequently requiring additional low carbon technologies including solar thermal panels to achieve the overall reduction in carbon emissions. Both blocks will be highly airtight, aided by double glazing throughout, and, in accordance with new building regulations, will aim for 20% less carbon emissions than older buildings of a similar size.

“We are very proud to be part of the redevelopment of Bristol,” said Clarke, “and are delighted to be contributing to the city’s future in a sustainable way.”

Project team:
Client: Castlemore Securities Ltd
Architect: Stride Treglown Architects (1 Linear Park and Affinity), Glenn Howells Architects (The Eye)
Buro Happold services: Building services on all three buildings; building services and structural engineering on The Eye. Acoustic engineering for The Eye and 1 Linear Park.
Main contractor: Balfour Beattie (The Eye), Wates (1 Linear Park). Affinity not yet appointed.

Ends

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Buro Happold is a multi-disciplinary international practice of consulting engineers established in 1976. We now employ over 1,700 staff in 21 offices worldwide, and our aim is to produce high quality engineering design in concept, in detail and in execution, on time, to programme and delivering excellent value for money. Our distinctive culture and ethos is still based on the same principles of care, value and elegance that were established when the practice was founded.

We offer structural, building services, civil, infrastructure and façade engineering, as well as a broad range of specialist consultancy services including sustainability, ground and environmental engineering, fire and security design, health and safety management, inclusive and urban design, project management, and specialist CAD and computer simulation provision.