The London School of Economics’ Marshall Building invites the public to the heart of the university via its spectacular Grand Hall. Andy Pearson finds out how ChapmanBDSP used the concrete structure to deliver a passive-first design that delivered natural ventilation in key areas
Category: Case Studies
Case study: St John’s College, Oxford, Library and Study Centre
Max Fordham’s design for the Library and Study Centre at St John’s College, Oxford, is a worthy winner of the CIBSE Champion of Champions title. Andy Pearson looks at an all-electric services design that provides comfort while targeting net zero emissions
Digging for Britain: Swaffham Prior’s heat network
Escalating energy prices and the urgent need to decarbonise means communities are looking to move away from fossil fuel as a heating source. A pioneering heat network in the Cambridgeshire village of Swaffham Prior is aiming to use a hybrid heat pump system, coupled with a solar farm, to provide ultra-low carbon, affordable heating for every resident, business and school.
Andy Pearson reports
Next generation: Arup’s net zero office at 80 Charlotte Street
Arup’s all-electric office at 80 Charlotte Street London is developer Derwent London’s first net zero office scheme. Andy Pearson examines the heat and cooling strategy that combines heat pumps and chillers, and looks at how Covid affected the design and delivery of the project
Fresh start: the transformation of Bow Street police station into a luxury hotel
Turning a Grade II-listed Victorian police station and magistrates’ court into a luxury London hotel required innovative services design, as Andy Pearson explains
How the Orkney Islands transitioned to heat pumps
Orkney Islands Council has been installing heat pumps in schools and public buildings for more than 15 years in a bid to decarbonise heating and end reliance on oil. Andy Pearson looks at the lessons learnt and how a smart electric grid could soon take advantage of the relentless winds that batter the Islands
Striking the right note
Engineers at London’s Grade I-listed Royal Albert Hall had the challenge of designing a near-silent cooling system in one of the UK’s most important Victorian buildings. Andy Pearson listens in
From boardoom to boutique: converting 80s offices into a stylish hotel
In transforming a 1980s London office into a stylish hotel, ChapmanBDSP has helped minimise embodied carbon while providing safe, sustainable accommodation for London’s returning visitors, as Andy Pearson explains
Saving energy through retrofits of heritage properties in Myanmar
The affordable retrofit of 25 historic buildings in Myanmar could form the template for making millions of existing buildings across Asia climate resilient, says Doh Eain’s Beverley Salmon
Lesson in continuity: Streatham and Clapham High School extension
Collaboration was key for the design and construction teams involved in the low-energy extension of Streatham and Clapham High School, in London, which had to remain fully operational throughout. Andy Pearson reports