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

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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