GREEN BUILDINGS IN SUFFOLK - OPEN DAYS
9 - 12 September 2010
The Suffolk Green Buildings Network is providing Green Buildings Open Days as part of English Heritage's Open Days. The open days offer guided, informative tours of energy-efficient properties and projects between 9 - 12 September 2010.
The Suffolk Green Buildings Network is a collaboration between the Creating the Greenest County Delivery Partnership, UCS and many other partners. We now have a growing number of green buildings that are cheaper to heat, cheaper to light, have less environmental impact and are better adapted to climate change. The purpose of the network is to raise the profile of these fantastic buildings, inspiring others to commission similar projects.
Among the eleven properties featured for 2010 are a contemporary family home designed with the aim of achieving carbon neutrality, a Tudor public building dating from about 1500, new build and retrofit village halls and buildings built from straw bales.
The buildings opening for tours in 2010 are:
* Assington Mill, Nr Sudbury: Buildings at the Mill have been restored using local craftsmen and materials. The new tractor shed, story telling hut and Owl Tower have been built from straw bales and rendered with clay or traditional lime plaster. Other traditional or eco technologies for viewing are: locally made bricks; ground source heat pumps; under floor heating; wood burning stove; sunpipes and a newly installed water wheel which will generate electricity for the buildings.
* Bruisyard Village Hall, Nr Framlingham: New build rural village built to the highest energy conservation standards with very high levels of thermal and acoustic insulation, solar panels for water heating and an under floor heating system using an air-source heat pump.
* Flint Cottage, Nr Bury St Edmunds: 19th Century flint knapped cottage with a retrofit ground source heat pump supplying conventional radiators. A retrofit system reducing heating bills by impressive amounts.
* Village Hall, Great Barton: Retrofit and new build installation of a ground source heat pump and photo voltaic panels in a 1950s village hall bringing benefits to the community by reducing costs and cutting the carbon footprint.
* Tudor Public Building, Wyverstone: See an air source heat pump, solar thermal panels, whole house heat recovery and high standards of insulation in a sixteenth century Guildhall , reputedly the smallest of its type in the country, recently restored to its original glory and linked renovated barn .
* Mill Green Brewery, Edwardstone: A new commercial building using traditional building , green insulation and heating methods such as locally made bricks using on site clay, lime plaster, wooden weather boarding, lambs wool insulation low energy lighting, a solar hot water heating system and biomass boiler.
* New Build Hemp House and award winning office conversion near Sudbury: Both house and office are models of zero carbon buildings with efficient natural insulation materials, lime based construction, biomass boilers, solar water heating, rainwater recycling, food grown on site for self reliant lifestyle, own livestock reared for meat and manure production
* Reg Driver Centre, Christchurch Park, Ipswich: The Centre, designed to fit into and make the most of the surrounding landscape and to be as eco friendly as possible contains several eco features namely: insulation and glazing to make the most of natural light and heat, a woodchip boiler with under floor zoned heating, green roof , sun pipes for lighting , rainwater harvester, solar, photovoltaic panels so lots to see all in one place. Tours of backroom facilities are being offered during Heritage Open Days.
* Sproughton Tithe Barn: 17th Century community owned barn where costs and carbon have been dramatically reduced through insulation which has achieved a 39% heat saving per person using the barn.
* The Arc Nr Boxford: A contemporary family home designed to achieve carbon neutrality from the handling of the excavated soil in the construction process to the orientation of the building, its design and construction. Everything has been designed to capture the maximum of natural heat and light whilst retaining all possible heat within the building. Space heating is by passive solar, combined with the high thermal mass of the building. Backup heating is by low-power under floor electric cables Further backup is supplied by a wood-burning stove in the main living area but rarely used.
* UCS Waterfront Building: This iconic sustainable building has a sloping sedum roof, high performance glazing, a concrete structure designed to act as ‘thermal battery’, an extensive heat recovery system including a heat wheel using fresh air circulation i.e. no air conditioning, water saving systems and contingencies for climate adaptation - there is a flood mitigation system with no electrical systems within 900mm of ground level and walls and floors designed to withstand flood damage. A building management system controls variable-speed ventilation and heating systems and there is no incandescent lighting (except in the lifts!). Lighting controlled by occupancy sensors in many areas.
Booking is essential for most of the tours. Bookings can be made online through the Suffolk Green Buildings Network website: http://www.greensuffolk.org/green_buildings/events.
Further information about most of these buildings can also be found on the website.
