Sustainable Design and Energy Efficiency

Case 1

Single Residential Dwelling House

The Jacksdale at Linden Homes

Address: Wilford Ln, West Bridgford, Nottingham NG2 7RP, United Kingdom

The Jacksdale is a 4 bedroom detached residential home located at Wilford Lane in West Bridgford, Nottingham. It is part of a mega project by Linden Homes to provide high-quality homes and a sustainable new community. The development is referred to as Wilford Fields. Construction of The Jacksdale started in the month of February 2018 and was completed by the end of the year.

The first thing to notice about the residential house is the red brick facade running from the floor up to the roof level. This finish is very attractive and stylish to the modern eye. As such, the Jacksdale is expected to attract higher than average rental and purchase prices. Brick is also an excellent temperature regulator. Bricks are naturally able to store heat. During winter, the bricks enable the interior of the house to remain warm. The result is lower energy consumption and a pleasant indoor climate. Bricks are also able to absorb humidity which is unable to escape through efficient climate shielding. The walls are evidently made of masonry blocks and then the facing bricks used to improve the finish. The house is a single storey structure. The ground floor houses the garage, living room, and kitchen. The 4 bedrooms are housed on the upper floors. The garage door is largely wooden with a glazed opening at the top.

The house features sliding glass windows. These are also known as gliders. Unlike the traditional windows, the gliders open horizontally by sliding along the window frame instead of up and down or towards the outside. Visual observation reveals little or no grills on the interior of the window. The glazings are also of a large size. This incredibly brightens up the rooms even during the darker hours. A closer look reveals that the glasses are double-glazed. This adds to the energy efficiency of the building. Double-glazed windows prevent the escape of heat from the interior to the outside during the winter months. During summer, the reflective exterior surface of the glass makes much of the solar radiation to bounce off, thus keeping the interiors cooler. With sliding windows, the dwellers are offered an unobstructed view of the outside, which is very scenic as the estate is filled with trees and manicured lawns. The window frames are made of uPVC. Such frames are energy efficient in that they do not transfer heat and cold.

Another outstanding feature of the Jacksdale is the red roof shingles. This is another sustainable choice. The type used is the 3 tab shingle. Roof shingles need little maintenance when compared to corrugated iron sheets or roofing tiles. They can also be easily repaired in case of damage. The color chosen beautifully matches the red brick facade. Shingles are also fairly priced. Coupled with the fact that they are easy to fix, the cost of construction significantly reduces. Shingles are also fire resistant. In the case of a fire outbreak, the occupants of the house will have enough time to vacate the house.

At the time of viewing the Jacksdale house, there was no visible defect on the exterior. This is expected as the house is fairly new and is built to a high-quality standard. However, the fact that gigantic trees are planted very close to the house heightens the likelihood of inducing cracks in the foundation. Tree roots are known to change the condition of the soil as they grow deeper and wider in search of water and minerals. This causes some degree of concrete settlement which leads to cracks on the foundation and the walls.

The Jacksdale also features wooden doors with glazed openings. Wood is a better insulator than metal. As such, it prevents the transfer of heat across it. During the summer months, the door prevents the heating up of the interior of the room through the solar radiation. During the winter months, the wooden doors prevent the escape of heat from the interior of the house.

Take a deeper dive into Sustainability In Ferrovial Operations with our additional resources.

1. Windows (Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy). (Washington DC: Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, n.d.).
2. Guertin, Roofing with asphalt shingles. (Newtown, CT: Taunton Press, 2002).
3. Hinks, Technology of Building Defects. (Taylor & Francis, 2016).

Overally, the Jacksdale house is a sustainable design that is highly energy efficient.

Case 2

Framed office/commercial building

Castle heights building Nottingham

Address: Castle Heights

62-64 Maid Marian Way

Nottingham

NG1 6BJ

UK

Castle Heights is a multi-story office block. It is strategically located on Maid Marian Way, on the end close to the junction with Friar Lane. Maid Marian Way is one of the busy inner ring roads of Nottingham City Centre. From the Castle Heights Building, one can easily access all major city center amenities. The building hosts offices of prominent institutions, including a national charity, a number of solicitors, and a public body. It rises 12 storeys high. This comes to about 37 meters above the ground.

Castle Heights was constructed way back in 1965. The authorities label it as a grade B office space. As such, before its recent refurbishment, it was highly energy-inefficient. A first look at the Castle Heights Building reveals that the windows are of the traditional type with single glazing. These are not energy efficient. During the colder months, the window glazing allows a lot of heat to escape from the building. This results in a chilly interior. To solve this problem, the occupants have to heat up their rooms using heaters. And since heat escapes so quickly, the energy bills become very high. The case of energy inefficiency is worsened by the fact that the window frames are metallic. Being a high-rise building, it would be expected that the building would have some kind of cladding to prevent direct solar radiation from accessing the offices. However, the building has none. The windows are all exposed to the sun. The occupants must be suffering from thermal discomfort. Curtains can be seen on the windows against the scorching sun.

The facade is a combination of tiles and plaster. They are mixed to form dark brown and light brown patterns. The tiles are quite beneficial to the building. They protect the masonry wall against absorption of moisture when it rains or when dew forms. This makes the building quite waterproof, and this makes it durable. Also, the tiles have perfectly hidden the building services. One cannot see any drainage pipes on the exterior walls. The color combination has given Castle Heights an impressive look which any modern business can admire. Also, the tiles have eased the burden of maintenance since they do not accumulate dust and such things as mosses.

The construction is basically a concrete frame construction. The frame is an intricate combination of columns, beams, and slabs. The masonry wall is non-loadbearing. The load is transferred through the beams and columns to the foundation. This type of construction is highly durable. It is also weather-proof and fire-resistant. Concrete frame buildings are essentially the most durable of all types. They require little maintenance.

Castle Heights was recently refurbished to make it more energy-efficient. The three major technologies used to improve energy efficiency are sub-metering, LED lighting, and passive Infrared sensors. Sub-metering is used to show the distribution of energy across the building. The occupants and other relevant stakeholders can now have regular and up to date facts concerning the consumption of energy. LED lights were used to replace the previous halogen light bulbs. LED lights generally consume way less energy than ordinary light bulbs. The passive infrared sensors are used to light bulbs whenever one enters the room. Some rooms like the toilet and the garage do not need to be lit throughout even when no one is using them. The building also features carpet tiles on all floors, plastered and painted walls, suspended ceilings with category II lighting, comforting cooling system, and perimeter trunking.

1. Windows (Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy).
2. Ceramic wall and floor tiles. (Pretoria: Standards South Africa, 2008).
3. Roufaiel, Analysis of damaged concrete frame buildings.

Castle Heights features a flat roof. This is obviously cheaper than the normal pitched roofs. They are also easier to install, and therefore the embodied energy in the building is little. The flat roof also serves as a place for the office workers to relax while viewing the City of Nottingham. Communication antennae can also be seen protruding from the rooftop.

One noticeable defect is the guardrail around the rooftop. It looks wobbly and evidently rusty. Worse still, one side is not fitted with guard rails. This is quite dangerous, especially if young persons get access to the rooftop.

Overall, Castle Heights is an old building that has been refurbished to meet the current building regulations.

Case 3

Traditional victorian commercial property

Nottingham Journal Offices,

Address: Pelham Street, Nottingham, UK

Victorian architecture flourished during the 63-year reign of Queen Victoria between 1837 and 1900. During those years, towns such as Nottingham got a good share of the wealth from mills, mines, and factories. As the world progressed to the 20th Century, most of the Victorian-style buildings were destroyed may be due to sheer lack of the appreciation of the historical heritage. One of the few buildings that survived is the Nottingham Journal Offices.

The Nottingham journal was a popular newspaper during Victorian times. The architect behind the building was Robert C Clarke. The building rises 3 stories high and features 24 Gothic lancet arches. Generally, Victorian buildings are superfluous and considerably decorated. This can clearly be seen on the brightly colored facade of the Nottingham Journal Offices. The visible colors are red, black, white, and blue. These form quite a rich color combination. All the windows are arched. The arches are decorated in alternating black and white colors at the top. The different decorations are also made of different material and texture. The arches feature intricate carvings that give the building an impressive finish. All window sills and lintels are equally decorated. The window glasses of the building are stained in a bluish tint.12

The roof of the building is steep-sided with a number of turrets and dormers. Such design was meant to pull the eye of the beholder to the roof.

Light gets into the building only through the front side. The windows are single glazed, with no exteriorly visible metal frame, which is expected of such old buildings. The left and right sides have equally tall buildings touching the Nottingham Journal Offices Building. This considerably reduces natural lighting within the building. Some decorations on the front facade are also noticeably peeling off. This can be attributed to the many years of exposure to harsh weather elements like the sun and rain.

Conclusion

The above three buildings differ in form, shape, and size. The year of construction to some extent dictates the building type and the features to expect. The newest buildings are constructed with sustainability in mind. The older buildings put more emphasis on visual appeal.

References

Baer, N., Livingstone, F., Livingston, R. and Lupp, J. (1998). Conservation of Historic Brick Structures. Florence: Taylor and Francis.

Ceramic wall and floor tiles. (2008). Pretoria: Standards South Africa.

Guertin, M. (2002). Roofing with asphalt shingles. Newtown, CT: Taunton Press.

Hitchcock, H. (1976). Early Victorian architecture in Britain. New York.

Hinks, J. (2016). Technology of Building Defects. Taylor & Francis.

Krishan, A. (2001). Climate responsive architecture. New Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill Publ.

Roufaiel, M. (n.d.). Analysis of damaged concrete frame buildings.

Stamp, G. (n.d.). Victorian Buildings of London 1837-1887.

Sustainable construction. (2004). Porirua City, N.Z.: BRANZ.

Utrick, J. (2009). Energy and buildings. New York: Nova Science Publishers.

Vance, M. (1987). Victorian architecture. Monticello, Ill., USA: Vance Bibliographies.

Windows (Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy). (n.d.). Washington DC: Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy.