Category: Uncategorized

Brompton Road, Knightsbridge: May 2023

About the project:
A penthouse terrace required a Class A fire-rated decking system.

An existing timber deck mounted onto timber bearers had been stripped….

…..out to reveal an unusual roof deck which had multiple levels and a series of upstands which appeared to be column supports from the structural walls beneath.

A secure substructure frame had to be constructed using Wallbarn MetalPad D adjustable height pedestals fitted to a selection of Wallbarn aluminium rails/joists. Both the Box Rails and the I-Plus beams were used due to the many varied height thresholds across the area.

At points the height thresholds were very tight, so the lowest height pedestals were fitted to 20mm Box Rails whilst in other areas, the 100mm high I-Plus Beam was double up and fitted to itself. These were then mounted onto much larger MetalPad D pedestals in order to create a consistent level to fit the deckboards.

The laying pattern of the Exadeck porcelain deckboards was to be on a diagonal plane to the building so the top layer of aluminium rails needed to be fixed on this angle to allow the decking fixing clips to be mounted at right angles to the rails.

Connector brackets were used where rails met each other for structural strength and stability to the substructure.

The Exadeck porcelain decking board is manufactured with a side milling profile. Hidden wing clips are fitted into the side profiles to securely hold the boards in place and provide a consistent gap between the boards for drainage.

This gives a tidy and consistent gap between boards. It is important to remember that Exadeck porcelain boards are rectified as part of the manufacturing process. This means dead straight lines are assured across the area and there is no risk that the boards themselves curl or alter in thickness or width.

We overcame challenging detailing because cutting a material with such consistency allows us to achieve sharp, clean lines effortlessly.

The various different parts of the duplex terrace was decked out with a clean, modern and consistent finish…

…producing a stunning, sturdy, natural looking decked terrace fully compliant with the highest fire regulations.

From older structures modernized using connected devices, to more recent developments which integrate sustainable and technologically-advanced design features, the buildings people live and work in are changing.

It’s clear that, as governments and businesses around the world look to increase economic productivity while reducing their carbon footprint, the built environment will need to be both functional and sustainable in the years ahead.

It’s a big challenge. According to the latest Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction, emissions stemming from building operations hit their highest-ever level in 2019.

Slowly but surely, however, change is afoot. Below, CNBC takes a look at some key features of three buildings that made the shortlist for the upcoming BREEAM Awards 2021.

BREEAM is a sustainability assessment method from the Building Research Establishment which covers infrastructure, masterplanning projects and buildings.

According to its organizers, the awards — which will take place in March, virtually — recognize organizations, individuals and projects deemed to be “leading the way with significant achievements in sustainable building design, development and management.”

Center for Sustainable Landscapes, Pittsburgh, U.S.

Located at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the Center for Sustainable Landscapes opened in 2012.

The building itself has been designed to maximize daylight, while other features include using rainwater to flush toilets. A green roof provides insulation and is home to wide variety of plants, some of which are edible.

The site uses solar panels and a wind turbine to produce electricity, while geothermal wells – located hundreds of feet underground – provide heating and cooling.

When it comes to technology, a building management system can control, monitor and offer feedback on a range of metrics to boost energy efficiency.

Take a bird’s eye tour of many of the world’s well-known cities and there’s one noticeable feature they have in common: a growing number of green roofs.

Whether it’s carefully cultivated gardens on Chicago’s skyscrapers, urban farms nestled among Hong Kong’s towers or grassy layers atop many of Copenhagen’s large buildings, more cities have brought in planning laws mandating green roofs on new developments.

Toronto, for example, introduced laws for new buildings or extensions greater than 21,000 square feet back in 2009. Since then, developers have had to cover between 20 and 60 percent of their buildings with vegetation – and while they can opt out for a fee, fewer than 10 percent choose to do so, according to data from Toronto’s City Hall.

Other cities have opted for more flexibility. In San Francisco, 15 to 30 percent of roof space on new buildings must incorporate solar panels, green roofs or both.

It’s a far cry from when green roofs first appeared 50 years ago when it was often charities or housing cooperatives leading the charge in German cities such as Düsseldorf and Stuttgart, today considered Europe’s green roof capital.

Driving a greener future
Today, there are often financial incentives for going green. In Hamburg, green roofing measures for both residential and commercial buildings are subsidised with up to €50,000 via the Hamburg IFB bank. In America, Washington DC’s storm water regulations and Philadelphia’s tax credit scheme both encourage green roofs. In London, there are no such incentives. However, it’s now home to some 42 percent of the UK’s overall green roof space, in part through residential schemes such as Barnet’s Collingdale Gardens and Islington Square.

“Since 2008, there has been a clear drive in the uptake of urban greenery in London – specifically living walls and green roofs – as part of the Living Roofs and Walls Policy,” says Scruby. The challenge is for those areas where there are low levels of greenery to improve, says Erin Williams, consultant in JLL’s Upstream Sustainability Services team. “That will require more developers and existing real estate owners to embrace to the idea.”

While there are certainly practical issues to overcome, from transporting materials onto the roofs to ongoing irrigation and stormwater management, there are also benefits for investors and tenants. “Developers or redevelopers sometimes need convincing of the benefits of a green roof on a property’s long-term value and energy efficiency,” says Williams. While utility costs vary between cities, the National Research Council of Canada estimates a green roof can reduce air-conditioning use by up to 75 percent.

And comparing the expected cost of a conventional roof with the cost of a 21,000 square-foot green roof, a 2006 study from the University of Michigan found that over its lifetime, a green roof would save about $200,000, with almost two-thirds of that in energy.

Appealing to modern tenants
While green rooftop space can be left vacant or landscaped for recreational use to help improve health and wellbeing among building tenants, some rooftops are going down a different route.

With greater public concern over climate change and a growing appetite for locally sourced produce, urban farming is starting to take off – with rooftops often offering high quality environments to grow fresh produce. The world’s largest urban farm, Agripolis’ Nature Urbaine, recently opened on a central Paris rooftop.

For more information, please click here.

Mikaela Wilkes of Stuff.co.nz writes:

Close your eyes and imagine Auckland central. Now put a jungle filter on it: apartment buildings and offices are green instead of grey, and lush native vegetation springs out of every roof and wall. Obsessive millennial houseplant collectors could rejoice in not only filling their flats with plants – their buildings could also be made of plants. Sound cool?

Graham Cleary, founder and CEO of green architecture and landscaping company Natural Habitats thinks so too, and he’s been on a crusade to green up our cities for 30 years.

A green wall or roof is essentially a panel of vegetation. Where a standard garden is horizontal, a green wall has been flipped on its side. The science is in how you put a garden on its side, make it light enough, and choose resilient plants that won’t outgrow basic maintenance. Natural Habitats uses a recycled polystyrene that mimics soil and incredibly, the plants react to it like soil. The panels of plants are light and can be easily moved and clipped onto a metal structure on the walls of the building.

For all you plant nerds, the type used are called epiphytes (perching plants). Epiphytes naturally perch inside other plants and are happy in tight spaces, and growing from heights. Natural Habitats uses natives, philodendrons, astelia, small shrubs from the pohutukawa family and orchids.

“Green walls and roofs contribute to better air quality, reduce city noise and provide a layer of insulation resulting in energy efficiencies. They can keep buildings cooler in summer and warmer in winter,” said Cleary. And they don’t need as much maintenance as you might imagine.

The benefits of green architecture/biophilia

• Mitigates climate change because plants absorb carbon
• Aids climate change adaption because increased urban vegetation lowers urban temperatures and helps to slow storm water flows
• Green walls and roofs are natural air filters. They convert carbon dioxide to oxygen and toxic substances, including those found in modern buildings, are removed from the air
• Remedies biodiversity loss because increased urban vegetation will potentially provide increased habitat for urban wildlife
• Improves human wellbeing because exposure to and interaction with nature has physical and psychological benefits for people. Hospitals built with green architecture have halved the bedtime of their patients and employees in green offices take fewer sick/mental health days.

Read more by clicking here.