European Property Sustainability Matters European Property ...

Case studies
Red Kite House, Howbery Park,
Wallingford, Oxfordshire, UK
Red Kite House is a new office for the Environment
Agency. It is an example of sustainable development
that demonstrates significant leadership in the
design of an office property.
Environmental features
Natural ventilation and cooling mechanisms
• Naturally ventilated, being curved in shape and
orientated to capture the wind, maximising
airflow and cooling.
• Manually operated window openings provide
natural cross ventilation.
• High-level exposed concrete ceilings on each
floor act as a heat sink during the day. They are
cooled by air entering through 100 motorised
windows on each floor.
• Roof-mounted turbines draw air in through the
windows on the top floor, which is the most
vulnerable floor to overheating in the summer.
• Neutral solar control glass minimises solar
heat gain in summer while maximising natural
daylight.
• A south-facing canopy provides external shading,
especially to the top floor.
Photography by Martin Cleveland
Background
Working closely with the developer, the Environment
Agency agreed to lease a building for 15 years on
the understanding that it would be able to influence
the design of the new building. The occupier
and developer thus agreed to construct an office
that would not only meet operational needs but
would also serve as an example of best practice in
sustainable office development.
The Environment Agency started from the point of
view that the building had to achieve a BREEAM
“excellent” rating. The parties agreed upon the
development of a three-storey, naturally-ventilated
building with an internal floor area of approx. 3000
m².
Moss Construction of Newbury, a division of Kier
Regional, was awarded a design and build contract
of approximately £4.5m to construct the building.
The contractor, developer and occupier worked
together to ensure a successful outcome to the
project especially in terms of the environmental
matters.
Energy
• Photo-voltaic cells that generate electrical power
make up the south-facing canopy, reducing the
CO 2 emissions by about 12 tonnes per year.
• Solar thermal panels provide hot water, reducing
the CO 2 emissions by about 1.6 tonnes per year.
• The building, in operation, is expected to have
carbon emissions 26% below that defined in
governmental "Good Practice" guidance.
Water and drainage
• A rainwater harvesting system collects re-uses
water, satisfying about 40% of the building’s
annual demand for water. Overspill from the tank
is directed into a reed bed.
• The car park uses pervious blocks, allowing
rainwater to soak through into the ground rather
than run off into water courses. A geotextile
membrane below the blocks traps oil and other
pollutants.
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