MIDLANDS
Designed for the future
A finalist in the best Public/Community Project category of this year’s LABC National
Built in Quality Awards, the £2.7 million Stafford Children’s Centre is a shining example
of how sustainable design and collobarative working can achieve excellent results
he new Stafford during the building process by “KITCHEN radiators installed on the first
T
Childrens Centre, a careful choice of sourcing floor. Automatic controls
VENTILATION
built by Thomas Vale materials, sub-contractors, maximise the condensing
Construction, was components and local labour. SYSTEMS mode of the boilers which has
required to By maintaining a close INCORPORATE CROSS the effect of inceasing off-peak
incorporate working relationship with the HEAT EXCHANGERS seasonal efficiency.
Sandyford Nursery School, a supply chain the impact on Kitchen ventilation systems
THAT PRE-HEAT COLD
90+ place 0-5 year nursery, the environment was incorporate cross heat
14 place crèche, toy library, decreased through reduced INCOMING AIR FROM exchangers that pre-heat cold
health consulting rooms, transportation and WARM EXTRACT AIR” incoming air from warm extract
multi-purpose community specification of materials air. This reduces the energy
room and training/admin obtained from sustainable needed to raise comfort levels
facilities. sources. before the air is supplied at
The design, construction The operational servicing of required temperatures. Natural
and client team, including the building is designed to ventilation has been used
Stafford Borough Council use no more energy than that throughout the building
Building Control, has strived of comparable notional wherever possible in order to
to produce an innovative buildings as described in Part minimise the amount of
design through a process of L2 of the Building Regulations. mechanical ventilation and
collaborative working and The systems that have been consequential running costs
extensive stakeholder installed have been designed incurred.
consultation. to operate in an efficient and Lighting systems incorporate
Sustainability has been cost effective way in order to passive infrared detectors that
viewed from two primary minimise fuel consumption turn lights on automatically
points: operational usage and and maximise comfort when areas are occupied and
minimization of waste environments. Energy targets off when the area is vacated.
(materials and resources). The do not exceed those Only essential circulation areas
operational usage of the permissible under current EU are controlled manually for
building essentially concerns directives. Condensing boilers health and safety reasons.
mechanical and electrical supply efficient low-grade Sub-metering has been
servicing and construction heating to underfloor heating installed so that fuel
whereas minimisation of waste circuits at ground floor and consumption and electrical
was considered prior and low surface temperature energy can be monitored and
to ensure that any unexpected
load profiles can be identified,
investigated and rectified.
All habitable areas have
been designed to maximise
use of natural daylight and
passive ventilation through
generous opening lights. The
design also incorporates a
green roof thereby
encouraging urban bio-
diversity, reducing storm water
discharge from the building
and for educational benefit. As
the project is located in an
area liable to flooding all
residual surface water has
been taken to soakaways thus
reducing load on the public
drainage system.
www.labc.uk.com | winter 2008 | 99