Turning a leaky old office building into an exemplar net-zero headquarters for a high-profile organisation is always challenging – but even more so when that organisation is ASHRAE. Andy Pearson explains the approach Integral took to deliver for its knowledgeable client
Category: Case Studies
From BBC to BIO: turning offices into laboratories
The growing life sciences sector is leading to more office space being repurposed as research laboratories for cutting-edge firms, including a former BBC building in West London. Andy Pearson reports
Case study: retrofit of Fairfield Halls theatre
Fairfield Halls theatre in Croydon is a prime example of 1960s public architecture, so when Max Fordham was asked to devise a services strategy during a major refurbishment, it had to stay faithful to the original while maintaining 21st-century comfort and efficiency. Andy Pearson reports
Agar Grove: measuring the performance of a Passivhaus winner
The success of Agar Grove at the CIBSE Building Performance Awards was in part due to the focus on controlling overheating and minimising plant heat losses. Andy Pearson finds out how the Passivhaus approach helped tackle fuel poverty
Box office hit: Why Mason Bros is CIBSE’s 2020 International Project of the Year
Mason Bros is an exemplary retrofit, in which new offices have been carved out of the shell of a 1920s warehouse. Andy Pearson finds out how the building in Auckland, New Zealand, exploits passive design and digital technology to minimise building energy use before, and during, occupation
Health provider: The Samson Pavilion at Cleveland Clinic
With significant variation in seasonal temperatures and occupant density, the HVAC systems modelled at the Samson Pavilion in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, by Foster + Partners had to be highly flexible. This was borne out by its recent conversion into a Covid-19 surge hospital, as Phil Lattimore found out
Chamber music: Brinson Staniland Partnership’s earth labyrinth ventilation for Kent College’s Great Hall
To help maintain comfort conditions in Kent College’s Great Hall, air is cooled using five giant, subterranean concrete chambers. Andy Pearson speaks to engineer Brinson Staniland Partnership about how the labyrinth ventilation system works
Adapting to university life: UCL’s Student Centre emerges from lockdown
The new Student Centre at University College London has reopened after lockdown, and its flexible design means numbers can increase as social distancing guidelines change. BDP’s James Hepburn describes the building
Healthy and smart: Edge’s plans for a London Bridge office tower
Smart-office pioneer Edge is coming to London and aiming for the highest ratings possible for Breeam and Well certification. Andy Pearson speaks to Atelier Ten’s Meredith Davey about balancing sustainability and wellbeing, and designing safe services around Covid-19
A marvel of science: Institute of Physics headquarters
The Institute of Physics’ innovative use of ground source heat pumps helped it secure the Commercial/Industrial Project of the Year accolade at the CIBSE Building Performance Awards. Andy Pearson reports