The Forum - Planning Application

6. Sustainability

• Economic Sustainability
• Social Sustainability
• Environmental Sustainability

A broad and holistic response to sustainability is at the heart of the brief for the new Potterrow building. Objectives have been agreed for economic, social and environmental performance as summarised in the headings below.

Economic Sustainability

• Satisfying Edinburgh’s economic needs. Efficient, large University buildings in the heart of the city will help ensure prosperity both for the University and the city. The integration of research and incubation will benefit future economic growth.

• Satisfying the University Estates Strategy. Flexible, adaptable lower maintenance space will help reduce the University property costs. Value over the whole life of the building. Consideration of running costs and life cycles is important to an appreciation of value rather than cost.

• Future Proofing. Flexibility to allow future change including change of function, say, to offices, will help the building to hold its value.

Social Sustainability

• A shop window for the University. The building will house administrative functions such as lifelong learning and a Health Centre which are available to all. The building can help explain both the University and some of the functions within the building. The building will house international conferences and participate in the Edinburgh Festival.

• A heart to the College. The student community as a whole will access the building for information on careers etc. Putting a range of student services in close proximity will help to further develop links between the different services i.e. between Counselling and the Health Centre or the International Office and Admissions liason. There will also be a café and retail area.

• Access. The public areas should be accessible to all with special consideration for people with disabilities.

• Research. Several of the building users including Informatics and Linguistics hope to use spaces in the building to facilitate research.

• Crime. The University support the use of ‘secured by design’ as a reference document regarding security issues.

• Culture. Students and the public, are increasingly interested in green issues and environmental ethics.

• Considerate Contractors. Construction can be disruptive. The tender documents will refer to registration of prospective tenderers within the Considerate Contractors Scheme.

• Consultation. Consultation regarding the Potterrow building will be required with a wide variety of people including students, staff, neighbours and pressure groups.

• Learning. The development of Potterrow offers a range of opportunities for learning both during construction (Architecture students?) and upon completion. Many of the users are actively interested in the interaction of people with each other and their environment.

• Integration. The building will provide an active contribution to the public realm, including a courtyard to enhance the City’s social networks i.e. the opposite of exclusion.

• Inclusion. Both the outreach nature of some departments such as Lifelong Learning and the semi public nature of some of the ground floor functions will help foster inclusion by making the University more understandable to the wider community.

Environmental Sustainability

• Health, Welfare and Comfort
• Transport Infrastructure
• Land Use of Utilisation
• Use of Non-Renewable Energy Sources
• Water Use
• Material Use
• Waste
• Global Atmospheric Impacts
• Microclimate and Local Air Quality
• Noise and Vibration
• Water Environment
• Biodiversity & Ecology

The University has adopted two key targets in pursuit of their environmentals strategy. In the first place the University wishes to see a 40% reduction in carbon emission by 2010. In the second place the University has an aspiration for all new buildings to achieve a BREEAM excellent rating. The University also wishes the Potterrow Project to be benchmarked against the Environmental Performance Indicators promoted by the Movement for Innovation and this will require data on energy in use, embodied energy, waste, water, biodiversity and transport.

BREEAM Features

The University of Edinburgh (UofE) has declared its commitment to environmental issues in its Environmental Policy. These general aims have been developed in greater detail with respect to property, in general, and more specifically the Potterrow development. The requirements have guided the design development of the schemes for the Potterrow Development.

In summary, the current designs meet the goals of the UofE Environmental Policy relating to:

• minimisation of energy
• minimisation of water consumption
• reduction of harmful emissions
• promotion of waste reduction, re-use and recovery
• implementation of environmentally friendly transport plans

The UofE has an aspiration to achieve an Excellent rating under BREEAM 2004 for New Offices. This requirement is explicitly stated in the project brief.

These goals are to be met in the following ways:

Health, Welfare and Comfort

The internal environments of all the buildings is comfortable and avoids risks to health (legionella, contaminants etc.). Features include:

• Internal air quality has been carefully considered by positioning of air inlets for ventilation away from sources of external pollution.
• Control of the internal environment has been provided for occupants wherever possible, including local control of lighting, local thermal zone control, openable windows, and control of glare in the form of internal blinds.

Transport Infrastructure

• Secure, covered spaces for bicycles are provided along with facilities for cyclists to change and shower.
• A transport plan is currently being developed which shall address frequency and quality of local transport to the development.
• Limited car parking spaces to encourage the use of the local transport links. Land Use and Utilisation
• The development makes use of a large brownfield site which helps reduce pressure to use greenfield sites.
• The development has made efficient use of the site with a high density of people accommodated on the site.

Use of Non-Renewable Energy Sources

• Measures for reducing energy demand during the operation of the development:
  • centralised CHP plant to improve energy efficiency;
  • use of efficient ventilation system using displacement ventilation with limited requirements for cooling being served from ground water cooling;
  • improved thermal insulation;
  • solar shading to reduce solar gain;
  • energy efficient lighting and controls local to the user.

Water Use

• The demand for water is being reduced through measures such as:
  • spray taps;
  • low-flush toilets;
  • a comprehensive leak detection system.
• A rainwater harvesting system is being investigated, storing rainwater from the roof for use to flush WCs. This shall allow a target figure of 3.5m3/person/annum.

Materials Use

• Recycled aggregate (crushed concrete) could be used in the substructure.
• All solid timber and timber panel products are being obtained from sustainable, wellmanaged sources.
• It has been agreed to carry out a restricted ENVEST audit for embodied energy to inform the client and design team.

Waste

• Construction waste is separated of site at the Local Waste Transfer Station.
• Waste generated during building operation will be managed and reduced by wastestream management, including:
  • the separation, storage and recycling of waste
  • the provision of storage space for recyclable materials (such as cans, cups, paper)

Global Atmospheric Impacts

• The energy efficient design will provide the required internal environment and services with a target energy value of 90-130kWh/m2/annum generated in an environmentally sensitive manner to provide carbon dioxide emissions in the range of 31-45 kg/CO2/m2/annum.
• The chillers used in the building will contain refrigerants with an Ozone Depletion Potential of zero and there is a refrigerant leak detection system installed to reduce the risk of leaks.

Microclimate and Local Air Quality

• The heat for the development shall be generated from the waste heat from the CHP plant. Back up boilers shall be ultra-low NOx (Oxides of nitrogen). Oxides of nitrogen are emitted when gas is burned at high temperatures. These NOx emissions contribute to acid raid, climate change, and local air pollution.

Noise and vibration

• A comprehensive noise assessment shall be carried out to ensure that the operation of the buildings do not increase the background noise levels beyond the requirements set by the Local Authority.
• During the construction phase regular noise surveys are carried out and actions taken to ensure that the noise does not exceed the target levels.
• Low-noise plant has been selected where possible, for example a water injection piling technique has been used to minimise noise.

Water Environment

• A Sustainable Urban Drainage System shall be installed to reduce storm-water run-off by more than 50%. The system uses the rainwater harvesting tank and over sized pipes to store the excess run-off water.
  

Biodiversity & Ecology

• Ecological enhancement measures for the site include:
  • implementing good horticultural practice measures;
  • choosing species that are wildlife friendly;
  • installation of bird and bat boxes in appropriate location;
  • installation of a sedum (‘green’) roof over the Entrance building.

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