One of the world’s first environmentally-conscious luxury hotels, Hotel Rafayel has set out to prove once again that hotels can embrace cutting-edge green technologies and minimize their environmental impact without comprising on 5-star luxury, quality or comfort. Incorporating the latest technological advances in LED lighting and other systems has enabled the hotel to reduce the 70kg carbon footprint of the average London hotel guest by over 20% so far. Through its policy of continual improvement, Hotel Rafayel now hopes to reduce this Carbon footprint even further by growing and transporting much of its own food in a sustainable way.

One-world design are appointed as architects on the exciting projects and have prepared the planning application for an Aquaponics focused small holding based on self-contained symbiotic eco-system to provide 25kg/day carbon neutral food. The farm contains a large temperature controlled biome with a revolutionary aquaponics system, growing a large amount of fish, fruit and vegetables in a small space, without the need for pesticides or other additives. The waste from the fish fertilises the plants, which clean and recycle the water. This system uses a fraction of the amount of water of traditional agriculture.

The farm will include bee hives and chickens and will supply the Hotel with up to 80% of its daily requirements, with prime beef and other meats being sourced elsewhere. The building incorporates a plethora of sustainability measures including solar PVs and ground source heat pumps to keep the ETFE roofed biome at a constant temperature. The electricity generated will also power the vehicles used on the farm and the delivery vehicle that will deliver the food to the Hotel. Hotel Rafayel hope to commerce construction in late 2013 and start serving patrons their home grown food by autumn 2014.

An animation is available to view at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQF6sr0XyYo

The design for this new 3 bedroom home in Bromley has been submitted for planning permission. With imminent revisions to Part L of the building regulations in 2013 and again in 2016 the achievement of Code for Sustainable Homes level 5 will soon be required for all new homes. Our proposal achieves level 5 (November 2010 version) with particular attention given to the mandatory credits in relation to Ene 1 and Wat 1 as outlined below.

Ene1: To reach a Dwelling Emission Rate (DER) of zero requires all regulated loads (calculated using SAP) to be offset by on site renewables. To do this the 2016 envelop standard is targeted as a minimum i.e. walls 0.18W/m2K; ground floor 0.15 W/m2K, Roof 0.13 W/m2K, windows 1.4W/m2K, thermal bridging coefficient 0.05 and an air leakage rate of a maximum 3m3/m2/hr. Accounting for the use of A rated appliances and an energy management system the achievement of the zero carbon standard would indicate the need for:

• 3m2 solar thermal panels
• 20m2of photovoltaic panels
• whole house ventilation and heat recovery
• waste water heat recovery

Wat 1: The Code 5 mandatory standard limit on water consumption is 80L per person per day. A 5 minute shower typically uses around 60L. To enable the home to include a low water use washing machine and dishwasher (such as the Siemens SK76M530GB) we have incorporated rainwater harvesting and grey water recycling. We also propose that taps should be restricted to 3.75l/m, showers 4l/m and the bath 120l/m. Dual flush wc’s are also proposed.

Sustainable Home in Bromley, Kent

The Block F podium apartments are part of the £100m+ mixed use masterplan, Newbury Parkway.  As associate at BDP, one-world design director was responsible for the design of the building. The timber framed apartments rise to 3 storeys above the roof deck of the retail below and are a mix of 1 and 2 bedroom homes. The fully landscaped roof terrace forms a new ground level and includes private and communal areas. The scale of the courtyard spaces between accommodation affords privacy whilst being intimate enough to create peaceful places warmed by their southerly aspect. The apartments, which are for private sale, are designed to Eco Homes very good and lifetime homes standards, and are clad in a cedar and an insulated render system.

The Block F Middle Street retail is part of the £100m+ mixed use masterplan, Newbury Parkway.  As associate at BDP, one-world design director was responsible for the design of the building. The retail units are two storeys high, 35m deep, on an 8m grid responding to the car park below, with a rear plant well and service corridor. 3 storeys of residential accommodation addresses the east elevation to Victoria Park and 2 further storeys sit above the retail at podium level. The challenge for the Middle Street elevation was to create contemporary retail spaces and shop fronts that were elegantly proportioned and allowed the building to be seen as a whole rather than two distinct parts above and below a podium. The framing of the elements and colonnade effect of the stonework creates a coherent street façade and a cohesive whole but also allows for retailers individuality. Photographs courtesy of BDP.

The 8 storey residential tower is part of the £100m+ mixed use masterplan, Newbury Parkway. As associate at BDP, one-world design director was responsible for the design of this landmark building. The steel framed, Prodema and insulated render system clad building was designed to lifetime homes and Eco homes very good standards. Each apartment has a balcony or roof terrace, south facing windows have folding timber louvers and the two storey penthouse has a glazed winter garden as well as extensive external space with amazing views of the Berkshire countryside in all directions. The building houses a two level restaurant at its base and has direct lift access to the 2 storey basement car park which houses both shoppers and residents parking.

The John Lewis at Home is part of the £100m+ mixed use masterplan, Newbury Parkway. As associate at BDP, one-world design director was instrumental in the design of the building. The design challenge here was twofold. As the development was under construction prior to JLP becoming involved, the design had to accommodate the store into a block which was too small. The solution involved creating a glazed bridge linking the upper level of Block A to Block F. The second key architectural challenge was to fenestrate the building economically whilst allowing the store fit out to use all the wall space. The framed window elements give relief and interest to the elevation which is added to by the glazing treatment. Rather than curtains, the original concept for the glass etching was galloping horses spread over the large glazed elements, reflecting g Newbury’s racing history.

The proposed space for a 5* Hotel encloses 240 sqm of accommodation and creates a new event location, in a unique position, with beautiful sunset views over the Thames. The ambition is for a light, open space, which maximises the views of the river and creates a space which appears dramatic, organic and can create an atmosphere suited to special occasions.

Our approach recognises that the column positions are set by the existing structure and the new terrace must be lightweight. From the existing positions we have new post that hold interlocking and set apart pads, like lily leafs in a pond, that create a new roof platform. The pads sometimes overlap, sometimes are set apart and vary in level to create an organic landscape. These linked islands, which are articulated in both the landscaping and the ceilings below, are held aloft and separate from a glass wall which is set back from the existing building edge. Some pads are separated by glazed roof elements, dappled light will flood in when desired.

The back of house areas occupy a pod closest to the existing main building and acts as an acoustic and visual buffer. The new space is set away from the existing building edge and retain some outside space at the level of the existing Japanese garden. At the new roof terrace level planting and subtle changes in the landscape keep people closest to the river, where the best views are to be found.

The traditional, quality, greengrocers has been ran on this site by the Thurgood family since 1950, when the adjacent house was also owned by the family. The family have been running a Greengrocers in the area however for 3 generations with the first store established in 1880. The current  Thurgoods are approaching retirement and the fourth generation of the family, their sons, are starting to run the business. The current economic situation, with particular regard to house prices in London, has made the economic feasibility of this handover challenging. The proposal here is therefore to obtain planning permission and conservation areas consent to construct a 2 bedroom apartment above the existing store to provide living accommodation for the sons.

The proposal is respectful to the scale of the surrounding buildings. It has a modest form, remaining within the footprint of the existing building.

The proposal will remain subservient to the neighbouring townhouses that surround it. The mass of the building is kept from dominating the adjacent street by breaking up the elevation with horizontal banding, and glazing at street level. The building’s pitched roof form with dormer windows is designed to be in keeping with the character of the conservation area whilst avoiding potential overlooking issues.

It is proposed that all materials used in the construction will be BRE green guide A rated as far as practicable. Volatile Organic Compound free paints and finishes, sustainably sourced timber and nontoxic insulation will be specified.  A glazed wintergarden facing south acts as a thermal buffer, allowing the house to be naturally warmed by sunlight in winter. Sliding windows to the wintergarden and glass louvers prevent overheating during the summer. The lightwells, wintergarden and double height space offer an opportunity for the proposal to be naturally ventilated.

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