Black @ Ecobuild

Over the last 2 days representatives from Black Architecture have been doing the rounds to see what potentially interesting products are on show at this year’s Ecobuild. Whilst real innovation seems to be sparse, there has been a few products which have caught the eye.

Shower Heat Recovery from ITHO.

Rather than letting our water from a hot shower go down the drain without any further use, why not use it to pre-warm the incoming cold water. Using a very simple system of running the cold water supply to the shower through the warm waste water in a sealed system you can pre-warm and in turn lessen the amount of heated water required to mix your morning shower to the desired temperature. Available in either Copper or Aluminium, depending on your budget, the system can apparently recover between 50-60% (depending on the material) of the waste water heat.

Energyflo Construction Technologies' Dynamic Breathing Building System

As the thickness of exterior walls rocket due to improved U-values, Energyflo Construction Technologies’ Dynamic Breathing Building systems are an interesting piece of lateral thinking. The product replaces traditional insulation in the wall build with a combined system that does the job of traditional insulation and more. Air is drawn into the centre of a modular panel where there is a filter sandwiched between two boards, here the air is heated/cooled by the building’s radiant heat before being pulled into a ventilation system. The product supplies filtered and pre-heated air into a building and claims to be capable of achieving U values of 0.10 W/m2k at the same time whilst minimizing the wall thickness.

Skyshades

Skyshades have introduced flexible PV cells to their tensile membrane structures. This lightweight solution can curve to suit most canopy applications and generates power from lower light levels than many standard cells. While the technology itself has been around for a little while, it begins to paint an exciting picture of a solar powered future…

• Alfresco umbrellas which you plug-and-play your laptop into;
• Car park shelters which double as a charging dock for electric vehicles.

Diasen – Diathonite.

2000 year old Roman technology goes into Diasen’s thermal insulating cork-based plaster products. Cork is mixed with clay, Diatomeic powder, Polypropylene fibres and ‘environmentally sound’ additives and hydraulic natural lime to form a spay applied Diathonite coating. A product that the manufacturers identify a range of uses from external thermal insulation to acoustic screeds.

The product data sheets indicate high thermal capacity and good breathability, elasticity and acoustic properties. Diathonite forms a substrate that can take a range of finishing coats or tiles. On an Italian Autostrade it is left in its raw state as a sound absorbing finish, reflecting only 30% of the incident sound waves from the passing Ferraris and electric cars.


Thermo emulsion from Nutshell

Thermo emulsion is an insulating paint, described as ‘Paint that acts like a flask’. Using Nano and Micro technology to resist thermal transfer through walls. By reflecting over 92.35% of the infrared spectrum heat is retained in winter and reflected away in summer where the paint is applied to both internal and external surfaces. The Nano SurfaPore ceramic microsphere particles also prevent moisture from freely penetrating the paint surface, reducing condensation risk.

Available in a range of colours, easy clean and with VOC’s under 3g/l it sounds good. Does it work? Probably one for Professor Doug King’s Building Physics colleagues to answer.

Black becomes Carbon Neutral...

As part of our commitment to take responsibility for our environmental impact, we have offset our carbon footprint with Carbon Retirement.

Carbon Retirement buys industrial ‘pollution permits’ on our behalf and permanently removes them from the carbon trading system. Ensuring that the price of offsetting in the trading market truly reflects the crisis we are facing. These permits are needed by industrial companies, so reducing the number available forces companies to reduce their emissions and incentivises investment in low carbon technology.

We believe this is the most effective and ethical way to take responsibility for our unavoidable emissions because it tackles the problem of developed-world emissions head-on and reduces our reliance on fossil fuels, moving us more swiftly to a low carbon economy.

In 2009 we introduced a Management System into the practice, which sought to build on the processes and initiatives developed through the ethos of the practice to attain ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 certification. Through this scheme the practice began to measure its energy and resources consumption and subsequent carbon emissions with a view to becoming carbon neutral.

Over a 12 month period Black collected data relating to office energy use, waste, paper, commuter travel and business travel to calculate our yearly emissions. These totals are then used to set targets for the coming year.

Once the initial data was collected, where (and with who) to offset our carbon was another challenge. There are a number of organisations that offer carbon ‘offsetting’ using the Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). The CDM is mainly used by industrialised countries to help meet their emissions reduction targets, but it is also used on a voluntary basis by individuals and organisations wanting to offset their carbon footprint.

 
Through the CDM, greenhouse gas emission reduction projects are built, in places such as Thailand, India and South America which are funded by carbon credits bought by buyers in developed countries.
 
All of which is laudable, but recent research suggests that only a third of the money spent on offsetting actually goes to fund environmental projects. For every £1 a statutory buyer spends on carbon offsetting under the CDM, typically just 31p is spent on the project’s set-up and maintenance costs and for voluntary buyers going through a carbon offsetting retailer, rather than dealing direct with brokers, the amount typically making it through to the project is even smaller, at just 28p. The rest of the money is ‘lost’ to investors, brokers and other participants in the process.
 
So what should businesses do to address those unavoidable emissions they emit?
 
The online service "Carbon Retirement" offsets carbon emissions on behalf of consumers and businesses by ‘retiring’ allowances that would otherwise be used by big polluting companies that are regulated by the European Union’s Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS).


Carbon Retirement from Carbon Retirement on Vimeo.


The ETS sets emissions caps for heavy industry in the EU and allocates the polluters with a fixed number of permits – each one the equivalent of one tonne of CO2 – which they can then either trade (if they reduce their emissions) or use against their CO2 emissions.

Carbon retirement works because it offers “a clear environmental impact” and it tackles the emissions created by developed countries head on, it's the most effective method of offsetting, because it's the only way you can be 100% sure that the emissions reduction you're paying for will definitely take place as they buy the permits and permanently remove them from the system. As a business that invests in voluntary offsetting we are looking for value-for-money, and are concerned about the inefficiencies in the supply chain for project-offsets, which mean that a lot of the money might not end up being directed towards reducing emissions.

Carbon Retirement for us delivers a true impact in the fight for climate change. Their retirement scheme is straightforward and transparent and in keeping with our philosophy of challenging preconceptions by creating a market changing approach.

Slum to saviour: Plan B?

Dharavi, Mumbai is reportedly the largest slum in the world with around 1.1 million inhabitants in an area of less than 0.67sq miles - a mass of shanty housing making it also one of the highest population densities per square mile in the world.

Dharavi has been completely discarded by the Indian government - seen as a scab on the city. As a result it is totally ungoverned, growing organically as and when required, stealing pockets of unused space close to the financial centre of Mumbai. There is no official power, water or sanitation supply feed into the slum and seemingly, the only order found is the order of chaos.

Because of this Dharavi has been featured recently in many films and documentaries, where it has been depicted as nothing but a poverty stricken hole of suffering.

While it is undeniably true that conditions are very poor, there are however facts to suggest that behind this third world front, Dharvi could prove to be a blueprint for future settlements, cities and communities…

It is believed that without Dharvi, Mumbai would have suffered a waste management catastrophe years ago. Recent figures suggest that up to 70% of the city’s waste is collected and recycled within the slum, giving it an (illegal) annual turnover of in excess of $650 million.

This waste to worth business model has not only ensured that Mumbai continues to function as a city, but because of the scarcity of resources here and lack of land, people are forced to share, forced to work together and forced to live together. This in turn has created a tight-knit, dynamic and colourful community which is not just surviving, but prospering on each other, and on the waste of a city which without it, would be in crisis.

If, as suggested, our future is one of land loss due to global warming, increased population, scarcity of resources and mass urban sprawl - these ungoverned, mass organic recycling communities could hold the blueprint for our own progression. Maybe architecture and society should be looking to study the emerging and adaptive concepts of dwelling, density and community of the slum in order to solve the humanitarian and architectural issues which are upon us?

Ironic, that the result of our carelessness could solve the problem we initially created. In the evolutionary process it is not the fittest nor the most intelligent species which survives, but the one which proves to be the most adaptive to change...

Cost, Value and the Triple Bottom Line

In the Evening Standard last Thursday (03.02.2011) the latest skirmishes in the battle between the architectural profession and the new government were reported. At a recent conference on the future of the school building programme, Education Secretary Michael Gove reiterated the views of his colleague Toby Young, that architects are an “unnecessary luxury”. The underlying accusation is that employing an architect, particularly an “award winning” one, does not add value but simply increases costs and by association inflates the fees that these architects earn. To combat this perceived profiteering by the architectural profession the government has announced that all new schools will be based on six pre-approved templates created by construction companies. I am not sure getting builders to design schools will improve design quality, but it is claimed that these flat packed, off the shelf solutions will be thirty percent cheaper than the one off designs of “starchitects”.

Lanterns children's centre

This is very aggressive stuff and marks a distinct shift from the previous government’s position. So what has prompted such vitriol? Clearly it is perceived by the new government that architects are abusing the public purse for their own benefit. But there must be blame on both sides. Surely it should come as no surprise that if you ask an architect with a distinctive style to their work to design a building, then they will seek to provide a solution that builds upon their stylistic position. Also, if you do not want this to happen then it is probably a good idea not to select architects solely on the basis of an image of the proposed scheme but to look for a deeper understanding and response to the challenges of this fascinating but equally challenging building type.

Everest Community College

If we consider post-war schools design then the work of Hampshire County Architects Department has been highly influential since the mid nineteen seventies. During this period they have completed many pioneering schemes for the authority as well as managing external practices to undertake both new build and refurbishment commissions. What is particularly interesting about this model is that their work has been underpinned by a continuous process of research that informs all projects. Under the leadership of Sir Colin Stansfield Smith the department has fostered strong links with academic instructions, including the Welsh School of Architecture, using this intelligence to directly inform the work that they produce and commission.



Osbourne School


This approach allows them to be act as a truly “expert client”, defining a clear brief and then working with internal architectural teams or external practices to oversee it being successfully answered. Over the years they have worked with practices as diverse as Edward Cullinan Architects, Robert Adam and Michael Hopkins and Partners who have produced stylistically very different buildings but all underpinned by a clear understanding of what is needed to make successful school buildings. The focus across all projects is to achieve socially inclusive buildings that represent good value for money, minimise their environmental impact and costs in use while creating a well tempered environment for all users.

Pinewood Infant school

While there are obvious benefits to the application of off-site construction, it is essential that the rich and complex nature of successful school building is not reduced to a simplistic and inappropriate caricature. Hampshire have spent considerable sums on trying to rehabilitate system schools of the 1960’s, many of which were already failing by the 1980’s. If prefabrication is to offer more than cost cutting but instead achieve real value, the answer is not to be prescriptive about layout but allow designers to respond to the physical and environmental contexts that each site presents. Modules could then be developed off-line by school specialists that would provide a highly engineered kit of parts that could then be arranged to make bespoke schools using common components.

If we are to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past it is essential that a third way is found where designers’ skills can be used to achieve social, economic and environmental benefits. As a profession, it is essential if we are to avoid being marginalised, that we are able to sell our skill, knowledge and expertise rather than simply selling a building style with a compelling image. If we do not, there is a real risk that all we will be left with is to be the stylist who designs the wrapper for standard solutions that have little or no relationship to the place or the environment in which they are located. Whatever the outcome one thing is for sure; if we as a society get it wrong it won’t be this government who will eventually pick up the bill.

A Sustainable Economy

'One million climate jobs' - that's the target set by the Campaign against Climate Change trade union group. A collective working together with academics and activists to convince the government to have the political will to embrace change to address the global economic and environmental crises together, not in isolation. Are they mutually beneficial, or is it inevitable that in the face of public spending cuts the environmental performance targets set at a host of international government gatherings will be sacrificed?

The trade union movement recently organised a lecture at the TUC building in Great Russell Street to discuss the ‘Spirit Level’, a book examining why more equal societies always do better. It was an opportunity to understand a broader social definition of sustainability and experience an enduring and democratic building not taken up by many architects, given the make up of the audience. The premise of the research, which is published on the equalitytrust.org.uk web site, is that continued growth does not bring benefits to rich countries. A series of independently gathered statistics covering subjects such as broad as violence, trust, obesity and global warming indicate that countries with greater equality, rather than relative wealth, perform better in terms of standard of living. Japan and Sweden far outperform the less equal societies of the UK and USA when the simple statistic of percentage of recycled waste is examined. In Japan equality is derived through parity of wage, whilst Sweden achieves similar results through taxation.

Returning to the theme of 'One million climate jobs', could greater equality benefit the environment we inhabit, or will the current financial crisis overshadow the need for change that the built environment requires, but is not yet addressed with conviction by the architectural profession. The Campaign against Climate Change highlight that whilst our national debt is currently at 75% of GDP, this is comparable to Japan's where public works programmes have historically benefited society and the environment. During our own industrial revolution the figure was consistently above current levels and hit 150% of GDP in the post war building boom period – a time when Harold Macmillan was Chancellor of the Exchequer. The Stern Review indicated that a 2% expenditure of GDP would be required to stabilise the effects of global warming, an equivalent sum recently made immediately available to stabilise the banking sector.

The Campaign against Climate Change suggests that 40% of 22 million tonnes of CO2 emissions can be cut from non-domestic buildings within the next 5 years by undertaking a programme of retrofitting to standards beyond our current regulations and then enforcing them. An estimated 200,000 would be employed in this task alone. Alternatively new build would accelerate the process and allow a new responsive architecture to emerge. It clearly needs collective action. Are the TUC more radical than the RIBA? As Will Self recently said of the politicians - what's the plan guys??

BAU 2011. Munich, Germany.

Last week representatives from Black attended BAU 2011 in Munich, Germany. Billed as the World's Leading Trade Fair for Architecture, Materials and Systems, the fair had over 2,000 exhibitors from more than 40 countries and more than 230,000 visitors from around 150 countries.

Every two years this event brings together market leaders from the construction industry to participate in a unique display covering more than 180,000 square metres of exhibition space. Having attended EcoBuild and Interbuild in the UK, we were hoping that the BAU fair, would provide a range of building products not seen before and more at the cutting edge of technology, a chance to showcase the future of the industry much like the international car shows.

Unfortunately walking round the exhibition for several hours we found that it was more a collection of standard products or slight variants from previous years, this was rather disappointing as the fair was billed as a ‘collection of market leaders’ as well as being based in Germany, which it seems is home to most of the building product manufacturers.

That a side, there was definitely a good selection of bags that could be collected as well as a few Flags! And even after a rigorous selection process of what brochures to take home you’re still left with the dilemma of where to put them in a paperless office. The following highlight some of our favourite finds:

Of the exhibitors that were present, Schüco, was one that caught our eye, not just for the sheer size of their stand, 1400m2, but for the advancement of there products. They seem to have addressed their position in the market and provided Architects with a range of windows, façades, and solar products that deliver energy saving along with energy generation. This vision is called in Energy² - a model which is incorporated in all Schüco products.

Eurolam have extended their already smart and well engineered louvre window system by adding what they call ‘the worlds first planted louvre’. A green louvre which brings a little more nature back into the environment.

Swiss manufacturers Lingatur, produce modular timber box sections that join together to create insulated or un-insulated structural floors or ceilings. Cleverly they offset one of the webs to provide a duct for cables to run along.Eurban are the current UK supplier.

Ground screws from krinner, provide an alternative to concrete foundations for temporary or medium sized structural loads.
Lamberts produce U profiled glass with a number of finishes and colours, providing an alternative to Pilkington’s Profilit or Reglit.

It will be interesting to see how many of the 2,000 manufactures and their products will make it to Ecobuild in March.
One thing we can applaud BAU for was the incentive to travel to the exhibition by public transport.

With your ticket you got a day pass to use the Munich transport network for free, somehow an incentive I cannot see ExCel, Network Rail or the Mayor coming to an agreement on!

For anybody thinking of going to Munich, I would fully recommend it, the people are very hospitable, the food is wonderful and there are some great buildings to look at.

Are we there yet…? Book Review - Towards a New Architecture. Le Corbusier

Le Corbusier's Villa Savoye

We’ve probably heard of his theories, and some may have even read the book (or pretended to…) but for those who haven’t - a trip into Le Corbusier’s “Towards a New Architecture” is an intriguing view into the mind of one of the icons of the modern movement. 90 years ago, he wrote of the inability of architecture to provide a suitable habitat for the changing way we were beginning to live and work, which left me wondering, are his words just as relevant today?

Whilst his arguments (or translation of) can sometimes come across as arrogant or patronising, the basic point is very well made. Why, compared to engineering and other design industries, had architecture remained so slow to develop to meet the needs of the people? Early Greek architecture was refined to perfection over the centuries, culminating in the Acropolis in Athens, from which point it was slowly masked with unnecessary decoration and extravagance and in turn distracted the designer from creating a successful building.

Le Corbusier's Chaise Lounge - simple regulating lines.

Take automotive and aeronautical design, which have, through necessity, economics or competition, motivated designers to achieve a higher level of innovation and break away from traditional mindsets. He cites as a classic example, the progression of engineering during the industrial revolution, where design was governed by mathematics and economics rather than by tradition, resulting in “regulating lines” that created a simple, clean aesthetic, stripped of decoration.

Le Corbusier clearly believes that decoration only distracts from order and form. His statement “The House is a Machine for Living” reinforces the idea that the house is primarily a place to live and not a monument to the past – it should be devoid of unnecessary decoration and free from the constraints of tradition. After seeing other engineering design industries evolve into something new and revolutionary, we have for too long been too concerned about how a building looks without having the same regard for how a building works.


At the turn of the last century we were in the middle of an industrial revolution, where technology provided the ability to build bigger, faster and more economically. The culture was one of infinite resources. If a house was too dark it could be flooded with electric light. Too cold or hot, it could be heated or air-conditioned. Today we are still developing at an exponential rate but are seeing the consequences of the past with pollution, dwindling resources, and as an effect, escalating material costs.

Corbusier's Weissenhof Siedlung.

If we are provided with the fundamentals for shelter; adequate daylight, fresh air and warmth, we are comfortable. We need to recognise we should allow the natural architecture itself to provide these necessities rather than by artificial means. A dwelling should be located and designed to maximise daylight and warmth or shade, insulated and adequately ventilated.

So we are at a similar point that Le Corbusier found himself looking at 90 years ago. His arguments could be seen as want for a brutal, utilitarian style of architecture but I believe they were meant as a wake-up call to force a fresh way of thinking about architecture and how it was meant to meet the needs of a changing society rather than rely on fashion. The only difference being that this original motivation is now coupled with the needs of a changing environment.

You're not from round here.

Centralisation has failed to deliver a sustainable and fairer society. Therefore, in the spirit of democracy a conservative led coalition delivered a bill to empower the people and to conveniently save the exchequer billions. With the new Localism Bill to become law later this year, have we cause to embrace or fear the general public’s ability to differentiate between good and bad architecture

Castleford Bridge. Part of the Castleford 
regeneration project which was led by the community.

The idea of localism and the big society should be a cause for optimism in the architectural profession however, its positive impact on our built environment and the society it is intended to benefit hinges on the right level of information, education and guidance being given to people to allow them to realise the potential of their communities. The government have placed the onus on each local authority to guide and support the creation of the necessary local development and neighbourhood plans. Unfortunately it is these same authorities who face further reduction in the resource needed to meet the needs of the planning process. Without a subjective input, localism has the potential to merely give weight to the voice of the minority who wish to advance their own personal goals.

The Bill will extend community Right to Build across England. This will mean that if a suitable site is identified, a group with the appropriate finances, neighbourhood plan and public support can develop. With this in mind the optimist in me sees this bill as an opportunity for the architectural profession to lead and to offer stewardship for these community-led developments. These are skills which will be in demand because the limited experience of many community groups will have in designing and at delivering complex social projects.


Localism will spark a profound shift in the way England is governed and whilst recognising that it presents real challenges for all those involved in designing and planning new development, the RIBA president Ruth Reed, has urged architects to get involved with the creation of neighbourhood plans. However, as the voice of the profession the RIBA should be doing far more to promote itself to local authorities and communities rather than simply urging its members to get stuck in. But this is hardly surprising as dealing with the general public at a community level has not always sat comfortably with the professions elite.

 One thing is certain; we need to ensure the bill is not detrimental to design. This is certainly not straightforward as the neighbourhood plans put design issues in the hands of local people who might not have the skills necessary to deliver design rich sustainable developments. What a community led design should bring is an enthusiasm and motivation to enhance and enrich people’s immediate context. Surely we are well placed to harness this potential and help in the delivery of quality local architecture.


The risks for architects in this new flexible planning system lie in not getting involved. If communities need guidance and experience in order to ensure they can deliver their vision then what steps should the profession be taking?

Studio Mumbai - Architecture & Craft.

Place is integral to the way that I perceive myself. Where I am from and have been, and where I wish to go in the future, creates what I am. I believe the same must be true of any successful, and therefore sustainable, building. It must grow to have a mutually beneficial relationship with its peers to be a success. As with people, its early design and construction could lead it to be immediately successful, or, as it is weathered and aged and its uses adapt, its character changing with each turn of events, it will begin to fit in better with its surroundings. 

The type of architecture that I feel the greatest connection to uses and adapts to the surrounding fabric, and creates a new and vibrant dialogue within the continuation of an existing tradition. As technology has advanced and the ease of communication has increased it is possible to create much more extravagant forms. Buildings that rely purely on these possibilities to inform their design and focus on testing the limits often seem to fall prey of becoming one dimensional. The middle ground between using vernacular forms to hide a modern building and rejecting completely all links to the past and the reasoning behind the vernaculars creation is a difficult line to successfully tread.

An a example of an architecture practice that I believe does is Studio Mumbai. Whilst listening to a lecture on the practice’s work I was seduced by their philosophy. Although it is almost impossible to implement the way they work in the UK, I think it is worth discussing. The practice’s team is made up of both architects and craftsmen working in tandem to create a building. The craftsmen are part of the design team rather than blindly following a set of drawings. Local materials are used with local methods to create an object that is completely cosmopolitan and completely Indian at the same time. If you listen to the process of how the buildings are formed there is a dialogue between craftsmen, who have handed down verbal information (often directly from father to son), and an architect, both critiquing and adapting the others’ work. The result of this is an undeniably modern building that is at the same time intrinsically connected to the place that has produced it.

ArcelorMittal Orbit - Withering Icon of the ‘greenest’ Olympics ever?

 

The Mittal Orbit.

I’d guess Boris Johnson is twitching in his Foster designed office right now; In less than two years time the world’s eye will turn to London and expect us to eclipse the awe inspiring and iconic images we saw at the Beijing Olympics.

But should we hope to even matching Herzog and De Muerons Birds nest stadium or the water cube, let alone eclipse it? More to the point, why would we try to, if nothing else – this is going to be the ‘greenest’ ever Olympics... isn't it Mr Johnson?

Hadid's Aquatics Centre with (carefully considered?!) temporary seating

The Hadid designed aquatic centre is obviously supposed to be the iconic jewel in our Olympic crown. However with its new found ‘wings’ it is quite obviously neither sculpturally interesting or engineeringly groundbreaking to be ‘iconic’ enough for Boris, it’s essentially a concrete clad steel frame. From a sustainability and legacy point of view, its going to be too big to be fully utilised after the Olympics, yet its too small to fulfil the requirements of the immediate needs without the need for the thoughtless boxes being bolted onto the side? Isn’t the whole skill of architecture about developing a design solution to suit a very specific and sometimes complex fluid brief, as opposed to the search for mindless aesthetics at discord with its contextual and programmatic needs?

Never mind Hadidism, postmodernism or iconism, this is mindless shambolism.

Aquatics Centre. Hardly a harmonic relationship with river and context...

The Olympics demands more than this mid-way mediocrity. Extravagance is the sad prerequisite of hosting something to be viewed by the world. We obviously couldn’t manage extravagantly sustainable - So is it any wonder that good ol’ Boris picked up the phone to his pals Kapoor and Balmond to produce an even more repugnant ‘icon’.


The Mittal Orbit is hardly a sculpture, how many sculptures have to meet building regulations? Regardless, it has the aesthetics of a rollercoaster that’s just hosted the Al Qaeda Christmas shindig. It’s certainly no engineering feat either, in fact no matter how hard they have tried to disguise, its been engineered to look like it should fall over, to the point where you know it wont. When you actually want it to. Aesthetics apart, it also sits at such ill ease with the Olympic stadium, like a rusty old fairground ride dumped in its carpark. Where is the consideration? Is there a reason for where its parked?

The perfect composition of useless iconic structure and carpark.

What exactly is it then? The official quote; ‘a radical new piece of structure, architecture and art which utilises non-linearity - the use of instabilities as stabilities...2012 Olympics needed something extra, to distinguish the east London skyline and arouse the curiosity and wonder of Londoners and visitors.’

Boris, less of the archicrap - We want to know what it does, what it says, what it signifies or what it adds to our Olympics or the supposed legacy its going to leave?! What actually is it that’s even of uk origin? Name, design, funding or materials?...nope, none.

We're also scratching our heads...

It gets better when we move onto its green credentials. Lumping 1500 tonnes of steel from the other side of the world for no apparent reason, if that’s not sustainable enough for you - check the Co2 emissions of Archellor Mittal (the official sponsor, the fact that Boris struck the deal with Mr Mittal in a toilet says it all) – Every year it produces around 220m tonnes of carbon waste – equivalent to the whole output of the Czech Republic or just under half of the UK's total emissions in 2009 - Talk about selling out Mr Johnson.

By default Boris, you may well deliver the greenest Olympics ever…but we all know without the iconic crap like this it could have been much much greener.

Wood Talks

Wednesday evening saw the final part of this year’s series of Wood Talks run by The Building Centre and it did not disappoint.


‘The time for timber has come’ declared Craig White of White Design, the chair for the evening. The need for low embodied energy in construction materials is becoming increasingly important and the use of timber to achieve this is a no-brainer.

John Hope Gateway - Edward Cullinan Architects

The presentation of the John Hope Gateway at the Edinburgh Botanical gardens, by Edward Cullinan Architects was skilfully delivered by Roddy Languir. He described how the existing routes and views were analysed, and formed the conceptual basis of the design along with props, planes, spiral and canopy with arboreal references throughout.

In this instance timber is used as a sustainable, low-energy material forming part of an environmental solution working within the context of its botanical surroundings. Its exposed glulam beams elegantly jointed to steel columns form the ‘canopy’ under which visitors can sit and enjoy framed views of the gardens.

Gordon Cowley of Cowley Timberworks presented ‘Geometrically challenged structures’ through a wonderful array of creative timberwork from geodesic domes (Napier University, Bradford Royal Infirmary) to the ‘tensegrity structure’ of the Cutty Sark Pavilion.


The message was clear; in a country whose local timber resource is scarce, the less wood we use within a structure the better. Efficiency within the structure is key, where beauty lies within the ingenuity and pure simplicity of the resultant form.

Southall Gurdwara

The conclusion to the evening’s presentations focused on the realisation of the new Pompidou Centre in Metz – a story unravelled by Philip Gumuchdjian, inspired by the nearby Cathédrale Saint-Étienne, the hexagonal shape and Pompidou himself, and Shigeru Ban’s woven Chinese straw hat.


The complex timber structure of the canopy which overhangs in areas by 20m, is an achievement in constructional ingenuity, and would not have been possible 20 years ago even though it utilizes ancient building techniques. The result is an iconic building which effectively connects a new site for urban development with the main city across a major railway, by framing views and being a destination in itself.

Pompidou centre metz

The three speakers approached the use of timber in distinctly different ways. A balance between environmental benefit and conceptual representation is achieved at the John Hope Gateway; beauty lies within the delicate efficiency achieved in all of Cowley’s geometric creations through his thorough understanding of the material and its structural potential; the Pompidou Centre in Metz represents the use of timber for its aesthetic characteristics, and how an ambitious execution of a design developed through advanced computer modelling can result in an iconic building which captures the attention of people from all corners of the world.


The Pompidou Centre may be extravagant, and the elegance achieved in Shigeru’s smaller projects lost within a complexity at a scale too large for most of us to comprehend. Efficiency does not seem to have been factored in the process of the design, and although there are a number of token gestures toward the environmental performance of the building, this is in contrast to the indulgence of the sheer size and complexity of the undulating ‘woven’ timber roof.

Timber is a beautiful and sustainable material which appeals to our senses. Using timber in innovative ways can awe and inspire provided that it is used in an honest and comprehensible way. If we are to promote the use of timber for the future of our built environment, we must not lose sight of its integral characteristics.


If we make an effort to understand the material and its sustainable qualities then we are a step closer to realising its full potential. The boundaries are now being pushed in a direction where timber has become exciting as well as the natural choice for a sustainable solution proving that it is indeed the time for timber.

Work, Rest and Play…?

The humble office; for most of us it is a home away from home. With increased working hours we tend to see our colleagues more than our families.

Why then are so many working environments not designed for ‘living’?

Johnson Wax Building interior image

Early modernists believed the office was a machine for focussed work and productivity. While these qualities are still important to any working environment, the way in which we work has largely changed. Developments in technology and communication have resulted in hotdesking, working from home and even working from abroad.

The freedom and flexibility these offer certainly compliment our busy lifestyles, but are they in fact making us more distant from our peers?


The thought of working from home is often an appealing one… no structured hours, dress code or harrowing commute! All very good, but the insular nature of it is surely not conducive to a healthy society. I can contact anyone at the touch of a button but where is the gossip, banter and fun of working with PEOPLE? I’m also not convinced that working from home would increase my productivity*.

The slide at Google HQ

If the new office is about social interaction and the sharing of knowledge, could it become the adult playground?


One example which pushes this notion to the extreme is the Google HQ in Zurich. The building brings staff together in a fun environment – complete with slide – to promote social interaction and communication. They believed that productivity could be increased by ensuring staff are happy and relaxed. This investment has been proven to also improve staff retention and reduction in sick leave.

Relaxation spaces at Google HQ

Some of the unconventional features of the building were a result of the users being heavily involved in the design process. The importance of this level of staff consultation is supreme… but probably an entire other discussion.

Informal meeting space. Redbull office. Sydney

Of course a slide or fireman’s pole is not appropriate for all workplaces, but as our lives become more focussed around work, that element of ‘living’ is increasingly important.


*As I write this blog from my laptop at home, It has taken far longer than it should due to distractions like magazines and Facebook (and an episode of Jeremy Kyle I’m not proud to admit!). If working from home is a way of the future, I’m not sure it’s for me…

Perseverance of passive haus in Victorian realm.

The race to achieve the UK passive haus holy grail; the first certified Victorian refurbishment, is on. The concept has gained impressive momentum and all of us low carbon enthusiasts are learning both the theory and practicalities of meeting this rigorous German low energy standard. The progress so far;

Building fabric and ventilation - tick. Thanks to increased availability of certified components and improved detailing.

Optimisation of solar gain - tick (at least on most sites). Thanks to imaginative designs and persistence in planning battles.

Passing the air tightness test… not exactly there yet with retrofit. And now some are taking quite radical steps to get that trophy first…


Victorian buildings are notoriously draughty and early attempts to curb that by wet methods with airtight detailing accessories resulted in an impressive results of somewhere around 1m3/m2/h (comparing to UK average for new build which is 5). That wasn’t good enough to meet the standard (designed for a new build in mind) so there is an increasing tendency now to line the inside of the exterior walls with continuous layer of OSB/Plywood to create a hermetic box. That’s right - hermetic, sterile box that is creating a barrier between the future occupant and the mass of Victorian clay brick. Original brick that when left plastered (and some do go to the effort of using lime or clay to multiply the benefits) makes the interior of the houses comfortable in all seasons with its thermal mass and humidity control properties as well as the good feel of solid wall.

The use of OSB to create a hermetic box

Is that what professor Wolfgang Feist would recommend? One of the principles of passive haus is to provide thermal comfort for the occupant without the radiant heat from the walls (thermal mass) being compromised. So is simply covering the insides of the walls with plywood sustainable? To use valuable resources to create that extra layer for the sake of few decimal places on the air tightness result?! Maybe the resources would be better spent on recovering some of the wasted heat discharged to drains instead (not a requirement of the passive haus)? What is more important, meeting an over ambitious standard or maintaining something more valuable?


When looking at this problem recently here at Black (refurbishment of Victorian terrace in south London) we have decided on ignoring the race to win passive haus holy grail and left the brick where it is needed the most. Instead we compensated with waste water heat recovery, PV’s and used natural and sustainable materials throughout.


The future occupants are looking forward to benefit from the results, rather than analyzing the empty figures.