William Robert Dunster, also known as Bill Dunster, is a British architect born in 1960, he spent several years researching and developing high density sustainable housing, following his research in 1999 he established the group 'ZED factory', it started off with 11 architects and a team of visualisation designers. The ZED factory aims to design 'large-scale eco-villages' in the same year Dunster designed the Beddington Zero Energy Development (BedZED) for The Peabody Trust, it is an urban village located in the London Borough of Sutton. BedZED has won many awards for it's environmentally friendly , energy-efficient housing, including the RIBA Sustainability Award. (10)
ZED Factory's motives are to design zero-carbon buildings in the UK, they work closely with leading UK consultants associated to energy consumption predictions, life cycle carbon costs of their designs, fluid dynamics and ensure that they achieve the lowest environmental impact possible. ZED Factory believes that it needs to offer the public with more energy efficient buildings which reduces our carbon footprint. In order to combat global warming and climate changes which are a ticking time bomb for our planet, ZED factory aims to overcome the difficulties faced by ensuring full use of low-carbon, low-impact buildings and zero waste society They have worked on buildings and site of all types and sizes. From BedZED, a mini town with 82 different flats to BowZED a small house which consists of 4 flats.
BowZED, an urban house situated in East London, just off Bow Road sits on Tomlins Grove and is believed to be one of the first zero carbon buildings of the area. As London has recently been in the spotlight, with London's 2012 sustainability plan, also known to be an urban city with people majorly flooding cities and preferring to adapt a city life. Dunster and his company ZED Factory want to embed the ZED life into the people of London. Hence they have developed urban designs for the cities to compliment the people. They don't want to change people's lives dramatically, instead, their designs are an easy transition into a sustainable way of life so it becomes more accepting to everyone.
Designed cleverly to ensure each flat benefits from it's very own south-facing terrace and conservatory, BowZED is canopied under a solar panel which have enough photo-voltaic cells embedded into the glass which meets at least half of the building's yearly electricity demand (15). On the other hand, the recently installed micro wind turbine is responsible for generating the other half electricity for the occupants (15). This micro wind turbine is located on the roof right above the communal stair tower (15). As a whole, this building aims to generate as much energy from renewable sources as it consumes, annually (15). The project was completed in August 2004, to ensure the people of East London begin to adapt the ZED life. The focus of ZED life is simple, they want you to maintain a sustainable life without going to the extreme lengths of becoming green, they don't necessarily want you to cycle everyday, grow organic food, walk everywhere. However, they prefer your building to breath a carbon neutral life, if your building is healthy then you automatically gain the green label and live a sustainable life as you adapt the life and improve each day.
The basic structure of this building begins with a skeleton of reclaimed steel. The bar chart below [Figure 1] shows how using reclaimed and reused steel can have less environmental impact than new steel in the UK.
ZED Factory's motives are to design zero-carbon buildings in the UK, they work closely with leading UK consultants associated to energy consumption predictions, life cycle carbon costs of their designs, fluid dynamics and ensure that they achieve the lowest environmental impact possible. ZED Factory believes that it needs to offer the public with more energy efficient buildings which reduces our carbon footprint. In order to combat global warming and climate changes which are a ticking time bomb for our planet, ZED factory aims to overcome the difficulties faced by ensuring full use of low-carbon, low-impact buildings and zero waste society They have worked on buildings and site of all types and sizes. From BedZED, a mini town with 82 different flats to BowZED a small house which consists of 4 flats.
BowZED, an urban house situated in East London, just off Bow Road sits on Tomlins Grove and is believed to be one of the first zero carbon buildings of the area. As London has recently been in the spotlight, with London's 2012 sustainability plan, also known to be an urban city with people majorly flooding cities and preferring to adapt a city life. Dunster and his company ZED Factory want to embed the ZED life into the people of London. Hence they have developed urban designs for the cities to compliment the people. They don't want to change people's lives dramatically, instead, their designs are an easy transition into a sustainable way of life so it becomes more accepting to everyone.
Designed cleverly to ensure each flat benefits from it's very own south-facing terrace and conservatory, BowZED is canopied under a solar panel which have enough photo-voltaic cells embedded into the glass which meets at least half of the building's yearly electricity demand (15). On the other hand, the recently installed micro wind turbine is responsible for generating the other half electricity for the occupants (15). This micro wind turbine is located on the roof right above the communal stair tower (15). As a whole, this building aims to generate as much energy from renewable sources as it consumes, annually (15). The project was completed in August 2004, to ensure the people of East London begin to adapt the ZED life. The focus of ZED life is simple, they want you to maintain a sustainable life without going to the extreme lengths of becoming green, they don't necessarily want you to cycle everyday, grow organic food, walk everywhere. However, they prefer your building to breath a carbon neutral life, if your building is healthy then you automatically gain the green label and live a sustainable life as you adapt the life and improve each day.
The basic structure of this building begins with a skeleton of reclaimed steel. The bar chart below [Figure 1] shows how using reclaimed and reused steel can have less environmental impact than new steel in the UK.
BowZED uses the same cladding of Yellow London stock bricks as the bricks provided to the buildings in the area during the nineteenth century, they then combined it with a modern yellow terracotta block that reflects the smooth render on the terrace opposite the building. This particular brick detail has been carefully considered in order to fit the historical, urban landscape. (15)
Thermal mass is implemented into the design and allows heat to be stored within the dense concrete blocks for up to five days, this is done in the form of dense concrete blocks for the wall and pre-cast slabs for the ceilings which locks any heat gain into the structure (16). This method of construction is ideal for preventing overheating during summer by storing night time cool for the day, as shown in figure 2a below.
On the other hand, figure 2b explains how during winter heat is stored in the dense concrete during the day which is then released into the rooms during the night time. The exterior wall construction is also one of the many key elements that contribute towards the building's efficiency, insuring that high thermal mass is kept, the exterior wall is sandwiched with a 300 mm of mineral wool insulation installed on the outside alongside a Fireborn clay block on the exterior leaf (8). As for the interior leaf it uses high density blocks and concrete ceiling soffits in order to maintain the warmth internally. A typical wall section would consist of 100 mm clay brick, 300 mm rock fibre insulation and 140 mm leaf of dense concrete on the interior. Finally, it is all sandwiched together by finishes of dense wet gypsum plaster. Altogether, the wall thickness is more than half a metre however, it achieves a fascinating U-value of 0.1.
Thermal mass is implemented into the design and allows heat to be stored within the dense concrete blocks for up to five days, this is done in the form of dense concrete blocks for the wall and pre-cast slabs for the ceilings which locks any heat gain into the structure (16). This method of construction is ideal for preventing overheating during summer by storing night time cool for the day, as shown in figure 2a below.
On the other hand, figure 2b explains how during winter heat is stored in the dense concrete during the day which is then released into the rooms during the night time. The exterior wall construction is also one of the many key elements that contribute towards the building's efficiency, insuring that high thermal mass is kept, the exterior wall is sandwiched with a 300 mm of mineral wool insulation installed on the outside alongside a Fireborn clay block on the exterior leaf (8). As for the interior leaf it uses high density blocks and concrete ceiling soffits in order to maintain the warmth internally. A typical wall section would consist of 100 mm clay brick, 300 mm rock fibre insulation and 140 mm leaf of dense concrete on the interior. Finally, it is all sandwiched together by finishes of dense wet gypsum plaster. Altogether, the wall thickness is more than half a metre however, it achieves a fascinating U-value of 0.1.
Technical detail of the wall construction has been shown in figure 3, ''The exterior wall construction is one of the many elements contributing to the building’s efficiency. We had originally intended to use blocks with a high tech render for the exterior leaf, but we found that by using Fireborn units instead of the render construction, we could achieve a very pleasing result at a lower installed cost.” Steve Harris, Project Architect. (16)
BowZED is a level 6 building as it meets almost all the aspects of being a good sustainable structure. The cost of this build was £250/sqm in comparison to a conventional home which costs about £150/sqm to build (7). It was an expensive project, costing £500,000 altogether (16). The additional costs were due to the requirements of the site rather than the cost of a better environmental performance. Each flat has already been sold at a high price however, it works in the occupants favours as their monthly electricity bill is as little as £10 (6). Thanks to the sustainable features of the building as mentioned earlier, the building has a large solar panel spanning over the south-facing terrace and conservatory.
The roof is mounted with a recently installed wind turbine with a two-way electricity meter. The turbine uses wind to generate electricity, it works together with the PV's to produce electricity, any access electricity produced is sold to the electricity company. The roof also has two wind cowls, these behave like a natural ventilation, as shown below on figure 5, they constantly exchange air via the intake and outlet vents. They are a source of lungs for the apartment, allowing it to breathe.
BowZED is a level 6 building as it meets almost all the aspects of being a good sustainable structure. The cost of this build was £250/sqm in comparison to a conventional home which costs about £150/sqm to build (7). It was an expensive project, costing £500,000 altogether (16). The additional costs were due to the requirements of the site rather than the cost of a better environmental performance. Each flat has already been sold at a high price however, it works in the occupants favours as their monthly electricity bill is as little as £10 (6). Thanks to the sustainable features of the building as mentioned earlier, the building has a large solar panel spanning over the south-facing terrace and conservatory.
The roof is mounted with a recently installed wind turbine with a two-way electricity meter. The turbine uses wind to generate electricity, it works together with the PV's to produce electricity, any access electricity produced is sold to the electricity company. The roof also has two wind cowls, these behave like a natural ventilation, as shown below on figure 5, they constantly exchange air via the intake and outlet vents. They are a source of lungs for the apartment, allowing it to breathe.
BowZED, as already mentioned, faces directly the south so this four-storey building is able to gain solar heat for more than a whole week during the winter. During summer, the internal temperature of the building is cooler than the outer space by tyhe difference of approximately 10°C. The excellent and accurate position of BowZED towards the sun as it is seen on figure 6 in combination with the photovoltaic panels making BowZED capable of gaining as much energy as possible from renewable sources with no central heating required and less consuming energy through the year. The amount of air because of the building’s position that comes into the house is huge and filtered by the wind generators and absorbed by the wind turbines. The diagrams below indicate the wind direction and how it is related to the building’s ornament. BowZED is directly situated in the wind’s direction, allowing all the alternative ways of using and gaining energy have great functionality and give a meaning to its characteristic as the first zero carbonated building. Figure 7, 8 and 9 below have been designed on Vasari to express the wind directions. As shown, the wind travels from the north travelling around the building and trees.
Externally, the building is highly energy efficient following the zero-carbon policy. From dense concrete walls to preserve thermal mass, to solar panels and wind turbines. Finally, the windows are double and triple glazed, designed to be airtight, following the Scandinavian standards using softwood. (16)
Internally, The building is home to four apartments, all varying in sizes and price ranges. The top floor apartment is a studio flat with stunning views of the canary wharf. The two floors below this contain one one-bed flat and one two-bed flat. The ground floor apartment contains a conservatory, courtyard and even has is own street entrance. (25)
The interiors of the flat are open plan, to maximise space as the 300mm thick, insulated walls reduce the amount of internal space available. A patio and sky garden area in each flat is accompanied by large, south facing windows to maximise the amount of natural sunlight inside the spaces.
As the wind turbine system is installed directly above the vertical staircase, the bathrooms have also been fitted on this side, for better ventilation. Reclaimed wood is used to furnish the interiors and, 'A' grade appliances and induction-cooking hobs reduce the need for electrical energy even further. In each flat, there is a small room containing the wood pellet boiler, which uses the energy from reclaimed wood waste. This heats the water for domestic use. However, this is an alternative for the times of year when the solar thermal tubes do not provide energy. Due to the high insulation, central heating is normally not required but the wood pellet boiler supplies back up space heating. This can be used for cooking, heating etc and in replacing passive solar gain it provides enough heat for the house. (25)
A comfortable microclimate is created around the building by the positioning of external volumes next to the south facing (summer) side of the building. These volumes such as surrounding trees and buildings reduce wind speeds.
When the building is orientated in such a sensitive area, the combination of buildings and plants/trees provide an urban texture which enhances the microclimate.
Internally, The building is home to four apartments, all varying in sizes and price ranges. The top floor apartment is a studio flat with stunning views of the canary wharf. The two floors below this contain one one-bed flat and one two-bed flat. The ground floor apartment contains a conservatory, courtyard and even has is own street entrance. (25)
The interiors of the flat are open plan, to maximise space as the 300mm thick, insulated walls reduce the amount of internal space available. A patio and sky garden area in each flat is accompanied by large, south facing windows to maximise the amount of natural sunlight inside the spaces.
As the wind turbine system is installed directly above the vertical staircase, the bathrooms have also been fitted on this side, for better ventilation. Reclaimed wood is used to furnish the interiors and, 'A' grade appliances and induction-cooking hobs reduce the need for electrical energy even further. In each flat, there is a small room containing the wood pellet boiler, which uses the energy from reclaimed wood waste. This heats the water for domestic use. However, this is an alternative for the times of year when the solar thermal tubes do not provide energy. Due to the high insulation, central heating is normally not required but the wood pellet boiler supplies back up space heating. This can be used for cooking, heating etc and in replacing passive solar gain it provides enough heat for the house. (25)
A comfortable microclimate is created around the building by the positioning of external volumes next to the south facing (summer) side of the building. These volumes such as surrounding trees and buildings reduce wind speeds.
When the building is orientated in such a sensitive area, the combination of buildings and plants/trees provide an urban texture which enhances the microclimate.
There are windows on the south side of the building, none on the north side, which means that natural wind cannot flow through the building. Instead, creating a flow of air which does not spread far. In addition, the plants on the patio create an obstruction so that less natural wind gets into the building. This is shown in the sketches done in figure 10 and 11.
Here are the technical drawings, the description of the interior details is shown in these floor plans. The layout will be further analysed in the case study assessment page. The first image on the floor plan being the 3rd floor shows the kitchen by the terrace, this is maintained on each floor as it progress down. This could act as a natural ventilation for gases produced while cooking also requiring very little use of windows. The office flat on ground floor benefits from a separate entrance. As for the circulation in the building, one set of staircases are shared amongst the 3 floor flat residents. However despite being in the same building yet feeling at ease about your own privacy is exactly how the residents feel at this place. Once you get into the individual flats. It is a good space laid out well with a lounge next to the kitchen and bathroom next to the bedroom. Keeping the flow of busy tenants smooth. Though the size of the flat gets smaller as you go up, this is not felt due to the south facing terrace giving the rooms a very spacious outlook. Especially during the summer, with the sunlight beaming into the flats.
Images sketched and used on this page will be a guidance for the next page 'Lessons learned' where we will be analysing each of the Eco aspects of this house in fine detail before it is concluded whether or not this has project made an impact on the local community. Can it be progressed on to other urban fabricated communities? Whether or not the building has accomplished the goals it set for itself initially. And most importantly, are the aims of the ZED rules achieved or not?