Uniting modern methods of construction with the traditional and ...

Uniting modern methods
of construction with the
traditional and sustainable
Completed in 2011, the RIBA award winning Derbyshire
Eco Centre in Wirksworth is the county hub for courses and
activities focusing on education for sustainable development.
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Sarah Morris
Assistant Director
of Property
Design Services
Derbyshire CC
T: 01629 536260
E: sarah.morris@
derbyshire.gov.uk
Main approach to the Eco Centre
It supports Derbyshire County Council’s work to
address climate change issues. It promotes creativity
through the arts, and teaches skills to help conserve
the natural world and to live healthy lifestyles.
Located in Wirksworth, on the edge of the Peak
District, it specialises in the education of sustainable
skills, including rural crafts such as straw bale and
dry stone walling, heritage skills such as stone
masonry and woodland management, and renewable
and innovative technologies.
team and was designed by the Council’s in-house
design team.
The 370m 2 internal floor area comprises one large
multi purpose workshop, a classroom, a generous
break out/display space, an office plus
washroom/changing facilities and a tea kitchen.
A large roof overhang provides shelter to an external
activity space, which spills into the surrounding
naturally sloping site purposefully designated as
‘free of cars’.
The Centre’s workshop and site are ideally suited for
teaching sustainable building skills to support the rural
economy and conserve its heritage. Most of the
learners at the centre are adults but there are also
learning opportunities for young people (especially
those approaching adulthood) and young people who
come to learn with their parents or carers.
Jointly funded by Derbyshire County Council, the
Skills Funding Agency and the Derbyshire Economic
Partnership, the centre is managed by Derbyshire
County Council’s Adult and Community Education
Local stone cladding to the pre-fabricated
timber frame

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Uniting modern methods of construction
with the traditional and sustainable
“The overall design
concept for the
building is to
provide a showcase
for sustainable and
innovative skills.”
View of the overhanging roof and glazing to facilitate use of daylight
The overall design concept for the building is to
provide a showcase for sustainable and innovative
skills. The method of construction could be described
as a hybrid solution; marrying the advantages of
modern methods with traditional and sustainable
construction elements and techniques.
This fact is demonstrated by the use of a factory
fabricated laminated timber frame clad with local
stone from various quarries laid using different
masonry techniques. The pre-fabricated timber glulam
frame allowed the building to be constructed to a
watertight standard in less time than conventional load
bearing construction. High thermal mass, air tightness
and durability were provided by a ‘wrap around’
masonry skin of Derbyshire limestone and gritstone.
The Eco Centre has achieved a BREEAM Excellent
rating and a key element of this required extensive
focus on the minimisation of waste during the design
process. Consequently internal planning and choice of
materials were carefully considered.
Internal planning focused on the provision of multi
purpose flexible spaces and elimination of corridors.
Internal finishes are presented in their most raw state,
for example the concrete floor is left exposed but
polished; internal studwork is left unpainted but clad
with wood wool boarding which is left ‘as is’.
Unnecessary items have been eliminated, for example
skirting boards and suspended ceilings. All these
factors contributed to speed of construction and
greater efficiency in terms of minimising waste,
Internal view showing the use of natural
materials in the ‘raw’
whilst at the same time allowed the materials to be
presented as they are.

Uniting modern methods of construction
with the traditional and sustainable
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The main façade has been orientated east to minimise
heat gain, assisted by the overhanging roof, low-E
glass and solar reflective blinds. Part of the initial brief
included the requirement that the building provide a
platform for the education of technologies that provide
renewable energy. Consequently the building has
photo voltaic and solar hot water panels and an air
source heat pump.
Continuous clerestory glazing and large bi-fold glazed
screens maximise the use of daylight and provide
natural cross flow ventilation, aided by controllable
louvers on opposite facades, negating the need for
costly mechanical air handling systems.
The Derbyshire Eco Centre demonstrates that the
ongoing use and development of modern construction
methods need not automatically imply that all new
techniques are, by default, best practice and therefore
superior to traditional approaches. The mix of modern
methods and traditional sustainable design prove that
both industries can happily overlap and can work
together to ensure best quality design can be achieved
to suit context and circumstance. To this end, there is
a need for a united front that allows both modern
methods of construction and traditional approaches to
operate separately but then unite under the banner of
sustainability, innovation and best practice.
“The key factor in
the successful
establishment of
calcareous
grassland vegetation
is the composition
and depth of the
substrate.”
Rainwater is collected from the calcareous grass roof
by what, on first impression, appear to be giant water
butts. Water collected here flushes the toilets and
provides an outdoor water supply. The green roof
specification creates a calcareous grassland habitat
characteristic of the local area and provides a
suitable habitat for invertebrates and other local fauna.
The key factor in the successful establishment of
calcareous grassland vegetation is the composition
and depth of the substrate. The substrate used on the
roof was designed to mimic the free draining, low
nutrient status and high pH characteristics of the local
Derbyshire grasslands.
References:
www.derbyshire.gov.uk/ecocentre
The British Urban Regeneration Association,
(BURA), A Steering and Development Forum report.
Modern Methods of Construction Evolution or
Revolution 2005
www.bsg-ecology.com
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