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Brent Civic Centre Building Case Study For BREEAM November 2013 PDF
Brent Civic Centre Building Case Study For BREEAM November 2013 PDF
Brent Civic Centre Building Case Study For BREEAM November 2013 PDF
Foyer 2,244sqm
The main entrance foyer is at the heart of the
civic centre. An external, covered forecourt
linked to Arena Square, leads to the main
entrance and the internal foyer beyond. The
main entrance is set back from Engineers
Way and displays signs announcing the front
door to ensure it is clear that this is where
you go on your first visit. The foyer joins the
public and civic functions, predominantly in
the south-east corner to the administrative
offices which wrap around the north and west
sides. It is designed to be open, welcoming
and accessible to all, in line with all the public
parts of the building.
Registrar - 671sqm
The new wedding / civil ceremony suite is accessible from the public foyer on one side and
the garden, which can be used for weddings, on the other. The garden is clearly separated
from the public realm to avoid cross-over of football fans and wedding parties.
It is a private space, bounded by living barriers with glimpses and long views through access
gates. The open space of the garden gives clear views of the civic centre from Engineers
Way. Ceremonial drop-off points are provided to the north of the site as well as at the main
entrance on Engineers Way. Registration of births and deaths will be discreetly handled on
the mezzanine level above.
Basement - 7239sqm
Car parking spaces, including disabled / parent-baby bays are provided in the basement with
bicycles spaces (additional cycle spaces are also provided at ground floor) and motorcycle
spaces. Showers and changing facilities are located at the base of the main office core and
stairs and lifts are provided for staff and public arriving in the basement. Mechanical and
electrical plant rooms are arranged along the north and west sides. There is also provision
for electric vehicles and associated charging points.
The building at the design phase is Outstanding (92.55 per cent) and is on track to receive
an Outstanding rating at the Post Construction Review stage.
The New Brent Civic Centre is designed to be a resource efficient building using significantly
less energy than a conventional building, being some 70 per cent more energy efficient than
a comparable building. This is achieved using a series of technologies that compliment each
other, notably a modulating CHP engine that uses 2nd Generation Waste bio fuel to provide
the cooling, heating, and power base load for over 90 per cent of the year. Not only does this
enable very significant reductions in energy and carbon footprint but also is significantly
cleaner by reducing NOx emissions 40mg/kwh for electricity produced by the Bio fuel CHP.
Further significant improvements are gained by the use of bespoke LED lighting and highly
efficient Fluorescent tubes, Integrated Air Source Heat Pump Air Handling Units, and
advanced control protocols together with water efficient systems reducing pump power input
by 23 per cent.
Energy
Energy efficiency
The passive design makes extensive use of natural/mixed mode ventilation, which involves
using natural ventilation instead of mechanical ventilation when possible, and natural
daylight. Some 10 of the 28 Occupancy Air Handling Units have been changed to Air Source
Heat Pump Air Handling Units, eliminating 15 per cent of pipework and reducing pump
power input by 23 per cent compared with conventional systems.
The building is equipped with a 300 Kw Combined Cooling, Heat and Power (CCHP) liquid
bio fuel engine, which can run on 11 different waste fuels. The system includes a 240 Kw
absorption chiller and the design has eliminated the need for thermal storage. The CCHP
system is designed to handle circa 10 per cent of the buildings cooling, heating, and
electrical requirements. The system will primarily run on fish oil residue, which is recognised
by the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change and the Office of Gas and Electricity
Markets as having the lowest carbon footprint of all current bio fuels and is recognised by the
Building Research Establishment as a second generation end-of-line waste that would
otherwise be incinerated. The fish oil residue is sourced by an external supplier, who also
maintain the system to achieve run hours of circa 90 per cent per annum.
Carbon footprint
A carbon footprinting exercise was carried out on the building that included the concrete
frame, steel and cladding elements which calculated a 26 per cent reduction in the projects
embodied carbon emissions when compared to standard methods and materials that could
have been used. Carbon savings resulted primarily from the reduced thickness of the
concrete floor slabs due to the post tensioning method used in the construction, and the
substitution of carbon-intensive binder with 50 per cent Ground Granulated Blast Furnace
Slag (GGBS). GGBS is a by-product of the steel making process and reduces the need for
carbon-intensive cement. 25 per cent of the aggregate used on the project was Cornish
Stent, which is a secondary aggregate derived from the China Clay mining process. Local
materials were also sourced when possible to reduce transport-related carbon emissions.
Whilst the New Brent Civic Centre needed to achieve a 56 per cent reduction in energy
efficiency against the notional building to achieve BREEAM Outstanding, further design
development and bio fuel selection has exceeded this by improving this figure to 72 per cent
with an estimated Building Emission Rate of 8.5kgCO2/m2 per annum.
Over 80 per cent of the construction materials were environmentally certified. BES 6001
Responsible Sourcing of Construction Products included the concrete and steel frame and in
situ concrete floor slabs. ISO 14001 certified products included the external walls,
plasterboard and glass partitions. Material selection was based on a cost and environmental
life cycle perspective with a detailed life cycle costing study undertaken. For example, rigid
tile/slabs with a relatively high initial cost were selected due to their lower life cycle cost over
a 60-year period due to their low replacement rate. Materials with low or zero-VOC (Volatile
Organic Compound) content were selected, such as finishes, fittings and decorative
coatings. Other environmentally responsible materials included the GGBS, and the concrete
frame of the building, which has a fair-faced finish that does not require additional finishing
materials such as plasterboard or ceiling tiles.
The Civic centre has comprehensive waste sorting facilities including provision for the
composting of biodegradable waste. The Centre will be connected the ENVAC automated
vacuum waste collection system in Wembley Park, which efficiently transports waste in
underground pipes and avoids the need for waste collection vehicles.
Water efficiency
Brent Civic Centre uses around 45 per cent less water than conventional water management
systems and techniques. All bathroom fixtures have sensor controls. The Centre has a large
rainwater harvesting system, which collects roof runoff in a storage tank in the basement.
The system automatically manages and prioritizes the reuse of harvested rainwater for toilet
flushing and landscape irrigation. Landscaped areas include drought tolerant species that
require minimal irrigation. The BMS measures water consumption in different parts of the
building and can detect leakages.
Green roofing
The administration building has a green roof. Green roofing provides additional thermal
insulation and extends the roofs lifespan by protecting it from weathering and UV light. In
addition roof vegetation can provide habitats for birds and insects, filter airborne pollution
and reduce storm-water runoff.
Biodiversity
The site was previously a car park with no plant species. The
addition of landscaped gardens, a green roof and various hanging
boxes for bats and birds, and invertebrate boxes has enhanced
biodiversity on the site. Specific species of bird that are being
encouraged include the black redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros),
which is a protected species that tends to favor urban habitats.
Exterior lighting luminaries emit less than 15 per cent upward light
and have a total site illuminance of 25 lux pre-curfew and 5 lux
post-curfew. All external lighting is controlled by daylight sensing
photocells, time switches and manual override switches.
The administration building is designed to promote healthy environments for staff and
visitors. All administration workstations are within 7 meters of a window, which provides
natural daylight and external views at seat-level. The building is also extensively glazed to
allow natural daylight to penetrate the building, and various manual and electronic sunblinds
avoid solar glare and excessive solar gain. All luminaries in the administration areas have
high frequency ballasts to reduce light flicker. The winter garden and public gardens offer
spaces to relax.
The centre itself is designed to be flexible in order to promote a long useful lifespan. The
mixed-use development provides workers and the public with opportunities to work, shop
and eat. The multi-functional winter garden and community hall has the capacity for up to
1,000 people for various events, and the public garden can be used for events such as
weddings and art exhibitions. The library has enhanced learning resources and study areas.
The Customer Service Centre has an interactive waiting area with self-service options.
Disabled access features include disabled car parking,
automatic doors, and large lifts to all floors. There are
also multi-faith contemplation rooms available together
with baby feeding space designed alongside baby
changing facilities.
The cost / m2 has been taken using the total Gross Internal Area of the building (GIA) which
will include areas not accounted for in the floor area used for energy modelling purposes
(stairs, internal plant areas etc). The total GIA has been calculated at 39,683m2.
The project team diverted over 90 per cent of construction waste from landfill through
efficient waste management processes. Total recycled content for the project was
approximately 50 per cent.Reusable packaging was used to deliver construction materials in
order to reduce waste.
During the commissioning phase, the project team used an innovative water treatment and
reuse system to clean the chilled and heating pipe work, which reduced potable water use
by 99 per cent. Water used to clean out pipework can typically amount to almost half the
total water used during the construction process. The solution similarly reduces the effluent
discharge during treatment and gained an innovation credit from the BRE for its use at Brent
Civic Centre.
The project won the Considerate Constructors Scheme National Site Gold Award for its
exceptional standards of consideration for the local community, its workforce and the wider
environment from a list of 8,500 sites around the country.
The project team organized around 50 community engagement events primarily held off-site
with schools, local organizations and local disadvantaged or unemployed people. Such
events involved around 2,110 people and over 400 hours of Skanska and trade contractor
staff time.
The project also won the LGC Business Awards which champions schemes undertaken for
Local Authorities.
There were 50 trainees working on site for Skanska or project trade contractors during the
project, and over 1,000 weeks worth of training was facilitated. Various events were also
held both on site and at local schools or the College of North West London to provide
information about construction careers and apprenticeships, and interview techniques.
The project team established the Civic Centre Supply Chains Programme, which worked to
maximize the involvement of the local economy and in particular opportunities for local small
and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). Over 100 local companies attended a business event
about the project and Skanskas procurement processes. Local suppliers were used on the
project, with a total spend of over 2.3million with 28 companies. Around 500 workers were
on site during the peak of construction, and at its peak, 24per cent of the workforce was from
Brent, which exceed the 10 per cent target.
Regular construction updates were posted on Brent Councils website to keep local
stakeholders updated about the project. Prior to construction, local stakeholders were
consulted and the project design and plans were amended accordingly to meet the concerns
and issues raised.