Briefing Document
Eco Homes. Eco Living. Briefing Document
Cristina Ferreres: James Longfield: Elina Spanoude
Welcome to the neighbourhood
1
Eco Homes. Eco Living. Briefing Document
Cristina Ferreres: James Longfield: Elina Spanoude
History
Eco Homes. Eco Living. Briefing Document
Cristina Ferreres: James Longfield: Elina Spanoude
History
Eco Homes. Eco Living. Briefing Document
Cristina Ferreres: James Longfield: Elina Spanoude
History
Eco Homes. Eco Living. Briefing Document
Cristina Ferreres: James Longfield: Elina Spanoude
Employment in Benwell
100
91%
85%
85%
66% 56%
58%
Economically Active
In Work
Benwell
Lemington
Newcastle
Benwell
Lemington
Newcastle
Benwell
Lemington
0
Unemployed
Students
1%
4%
2% Newcastle
6%
Benwell
3%
Lemington
3%
Newcastle
8%
Benwell
11%
Lemington
6%
Newcastle
50
Never Worked
Eco Homes. Eco Living. Briefing Document
Cristina Ferreres: James Longfield: Elina Spanoude
Demographics in Benwell 100
50
11%
8%
8%
8%
8%
6%
7%
7%
8%
UK
24%
Newcastle
21%
Benwell
22%
Lemington
24%
UK
30%
Newcastle
28%
Benwell
11%
15%
28%
Lemington
10%
Benwell
20%
Lemington
Benwell
19%
UK
22%
Newcastle
20%
Lemington
30%
Under 16 100
99%
95%
93%
16 - 24
25 - 44
UK
Newcastle
Benwell
Lemington
UK
Newcastle
Benwell
Lemington
UK
Newcastle
0
45 - 64
65 - 74
Over 75
90%
White
South Asian
UK
0.5% 0.5%
Chinese
Eco Homes. Eco Living. Briefing Document
1%
0.5% UK
0.5%
Newcastle
1%
Benwell
0.5%
Lemington
0%
Newcastle
5%
Benwell
5%
Lemington
3%
UK
UK
Afro/Caribbean
0.5%
Newcastle
4%
Benwell
1%
Lemington
1%
Newcastle
UK
Newcastle
Benwell
Lemington
0
Lemington
0%
Benwell
50
Other Cristina Ferreres: James Longfield: Elina Spanoude
Housing Typologies 100
47%
Newcastle
25%
30% 20%
12%
Detached
Housing typologies on site
Semi-detached
Terraced
Existing semi-detached housing around site
UK
Newcastle
Benwell
Lemington
UK
Newcastle
Benwell
Lemington
UK
Newcastle
Benwell
Lemington
UK
Lemington
0
0%
0%
Flats
0.5% 1% UK
8%
22%
25%
Newcastle
6%
27%
28%
22%
Benwell
14%
32%
Benwell
35%
Lemington
46%
50
Other
Existing terraced housing around site
Eco Homes. Eco Living. Briefing Document
Cristina Ferreres: James Longfield: Elina Spanoude
Edges
Eco Homes. Eco Living. Briefing Document
Cristina Ferreres: James Longfield: Elina Spanoude
Walking Distances
Eco Homes. Eco Living. Briefing Document
Cristina Ferreres: James Longfield: Elina Spanoude
Amenities
Lacking a centre. The site could become the centre of the neighbourhood to reinvigorate the area and provide for people in the near vicinity.
S S
Shops
Schools
Eco Homes. Eco Living. Briefing Document
Cristina Ferreres: James Longfield: Elina Spanoude
Neighbourhood Figure Ground
Eco Homes. Eco Living. Briefing Document
Cristina Ferreres: James Longfield: Elina Spanoude
Transport: Bus links
Eco Homes. Eco Living. Briefing Document
Cristina Ferreres: James Longfield: Elina Spanoude
Green Spaces
A view of the green space in the Benwell area show just how low the density is, part of this has resulted from the demolition of terraced housing in the Scotwood area yet even then the vast majority of the area is suburban low rise.
Eco Homes. Eco Living. Briefing Document
Cristina Ferreres: James Longfield: Elina Spanoude
Benwell Site
Eco Homes. Eco Living. Briefing Document
Cristina Ferreres: James Longfield: Elina Spanoude
Concepts
2
Eco Homes. Eco Living. Briefing Document
Cristina Ferreres: James Longfield: Elina Spanoude
Neighbourhood theory, Andres Duany
1. The neighborhood has a centre and an edge. The edge and centre combine to strengthen the social identity of the inhabitants.
2. The optimal size of a neighborhood is a quarter mile from centre to edge. This is roughly the distance that is covered by an easy 5 minute walk. This area is the within which is made provision for many daily needs of the local residents. The authors argue that if individuals have to take a car in order to get to a transport connection then they will not bother with any other transport than the car. The transport system relies on urban densities that the suburban neighborhood cannot achieve though this density is not defined. The aim is not to totally eradicate the car but to create a focussed neighborhood that does not depend singularly on it.
3. The neighborhood has a balanced mix of activities - Dwelling, shopping, working, schooling, worshipping and recreating. The authors claim that this approach is aimed mainly at those who are unable to use or afford a car, particularly for children and the elderly. People should be able to walk to local services and not feel as though they need the car. This finer grained activities also includes the provision of housing for a wider range of incomes in order to provide for the full social spectrum which the suburbs tend to segregate against. The removal of the car can release finances for a family or individual. In the UK the annual running cost of a car is roughly ÂŁ6000 according to the RAC.
4. The neighborhood structures building sites and traffic on a fine network of interconnecting streets. The physical structure of the neighborhood should be made to shorten pedestrian routes and separate local traffic from regional through traffic. The suburban model, they argue, is designed more with the need for speed though it than the quality of the place itself.
Eco Homes. Eco Living. Briefing Document
Elina Spanoude Cristina Ferreres: James Longfield: Elena Spanoude
Phased Timeline
internal drive
external forces
residents /home owners
Level of input
government / city council / agencies 5 4 3 2 1
1 2 3 4 5
Level of input building upon existing tranport links; integration with predestrian and cycling networks
Transport
not reversing the existing situation eg. not banning cars
car sharing scheme introduced on the Benwell site
Retrofitting
improve the conditions of the performance of the existing fabric to reach the necessary level of sustainability integrate them with the new homes
New Homes
eco-culture preserving elements identifying the area
closer relationship to the characteristics of the area helps people behaving more responsibly towards it communal workspace Employment & Skills
lower income or unemployed people enter training programme to gain skills for building (Retrofitting and New homes scheme) ownership of place strengthening the code
closer relationship to the site helps people behaving more responsibly towards it
Renewables
Options for wind turbines off-site to develops or micro CHP on site visual links with energy production -understanding reality and engaging more actively
producing energy for use in the community and sell the excess to the government ownership of place control of the community -
lowest Co2 improved community Successful model of sustainability
Benwell Eco-living / Eco-home life style
Eco Homes. Eco Living. Briefing Document
incentinve of extra revenue. the existing code acts as guidance
Cristina Ferreres: James Longfield: Elina Spanoude
Phased Timeline
Phase 1 Smart meters are introduced into all of the existing houses around the site so that residents can monitor their energy usage over the course of the development programme.
Phase 2 2 new routes into the site are created to aid access. The northernmost street is paved along with the new areas of hard standing on the new site.
Eco Homes. Eco Living. Briefing Document
Cristina Ferreres: James Longfield: Elina Spanoude
Phase 3 The southernmost block is built and used as a training excercise for the contractor in Passivhaus techniques.
Phase 2 The existing houses undergo a retrofit programme, whist the invasive retrofitting happens residents move into the newly constructed units on the site.
Eco Homes. Eco Living. Briefing Document
Cristina Ferreres: James Longfield: Elina Spanoude
Phase 5 When the retrofitting process is completed the new housing is completed in its entirety. The units that hosted the residents during the retrofitting are refurbished as office units.
Phase 6 The shared car scheme is rolled out on the site with electric cars produced in Nissan’s Sunderland factory.
Eco Homes. Eco Living. Briefing Document
Cristina Ferreres: James Longfield: Elina Spanoude
Car sharing scheme 100
55% 50
45%
36%
46%
35% 39% 18%
10%
15%
We envisage a car sharing scheme to take place on our site giving street parking space over to increased pedestrian control through shared surface streets. The aim would be to discourage car use on these particular streets.
No Cars
One Car
Newcastle
Benwell
Lemington
Newcastle
Benwell
Lemington
Newcastle
Benwell
Lemington
0
Two Cars
There are currently roughly 0.5 cars per household in Benwell, the car sharing scheme will maintain this ratio but will also increase the accessibility and possibilities for connections for local residents as well as reduce the financial burden of car ownership. According to the RAC the average running cost of a car in Britain is ÂŁ6000, so removing car ownership will potentially release finances for households. The Nissan Leaf is an electric car and is being produced locally in their Sunderland factory. Eco Homes. Eco Living. Briefing Document
Cristina Ferreres: James Longfield: Elina Spanoude
Retrofitting Stages
All homes fitted with smart meters to monitor energy use We intend to pursue a retrofitting agenda around the site. In the UK only one in 4 homes will be new by 2050.
Energy use within the home
It is often the poorest houses that are the least energy efficient so some form of monetary or social capital needs to be raised in order to enable action. 100% 90% 74%
50
10 homes around the site are retrofitted and monitored
10%
Post Retrofit All
Post Examples
0 Pre-Smart Meter
This drives the agenda for retrofitting homes across the UK. A system whereby current occupants are relocated for the duration of the retrofitting program will need to be found, this may link in to the construction of new homes in the area.
100
Post-Smart Meter
The average British fuel bill is over ÂŁ1000 and the number of people living in ‘fuel poverty’ is roughly 4 million. A household is defined as being in fuel poverty if it has to spend 10% or more of its annual income on space heating. Space heating account for 60% of the energy usage of the average UK home. Including those on benefits for fuel poverty there are 12 million people who receive fuel subsidies from the government.
Steadily reducing energy use through retrofitting program
Subsequently all homes around the site are retrofitted
Eco Homes. Eco Living. Briefing Document
Cristina Ferreres: James Longfield: Elina Spanoude
Retrofitting of existing houses in Benwell 150mm roof insulation -opportunity to utilise the space in the loft
U- Value Calculation Before retrofitting : 3.24 W/m2K After retrofitting : 0.15 W/m2K
new plastering of all surfaces
100mm floor thermal insulation Exploded perspective showing retrofitting process
50mm external insulation 100mm wall cavity polystyrene
Eco Homes. Eco Living. Briefing Document
double glazing windows 30mm of new cladding from selection of tiles or timber panels
Cristina Ferreres: James Longfield: Elina Spanoude
Retrofitting Stages
A
U-value 3.2435 W/m2K 150mm roof insulation
D
B
100mm wall cavity polystyrene thermal insulation
E
C
U-value down to 0.23 W/m2K 100mm floor thermal insulation
F
U-value down to 0.1547 W/m2K new plastering of all surfaces
50mm external insulation
Eco Homes. Eco Living. Briefing Document
30mm of new cladding Cristina Ferreres: James Longfield: Elina Spanoude
Cladding Options
The external insulation opens up the opportunity to reclad the existing houses, many of which have dull pebble dashed renders ontop of the brick. The new look buildings will contribute to the sense of investment in the area and residents can choose which type of cladding they get on their house.
Eco Homes. Eco Living. Briefing Document
Cristina Ferreres: James Longfield: Elina Spanoude
Retrofitting
Eco Homes. Eco Living. Briefing Document
Cristina Ferreres: James Longfield: Elina Spanoude
New Housing Masterplan Concept
Create Passivehaus houses on the site
Exploit surface to volume ratios to reduce cost of housing
Create a block of flats on the site for a range of incomes
Eco Homes. Eco Living. Briefing Document
Cristina Ferreres: James Longfield: Elina Spanoude
New Housing Masterplan Concept
Typical tower block typology
Routes through the site cut out
Centre floors removed to allow daylight through
Lower terrace roofs become roof gardens
Routes through become vertical circulation spaces
Top floor split and rotated
Eco Homes. Eco Living. Briefing Document
Cristina Ferreres: James Longfield: Elina Spanoude
Design Process
3
Eco Homes. Eco Living. Briefing Document
Cristina Ferreres: James Longfield: Elina Spanoude
Modeling Process
Eco Homes. Eco Living. Briefing Document
Cristina Ferreres: James Longfield: Elina Spanoude
Eco Homes. Eco Living. Briefing Document
Cristina Ferreres: James Longfield: Elina Spanoude
Eco Homes. Eco Living. Briefing Document
Cristina Ferreres: James Longfield: Elina Spanoude
Eco Homes. Eco Living. Briefing Document
Cristina Ferreres: James Longfield: Elina Spanoude
Precedents
Eco Homes. Eco Living. Briefing Document
4
Cristina Ferreres: James Longfield: Elina Spanoude
Flats, MVRDV and Steven Holl
Using a flats model to question the concept of urban density. We wanted to increase the density on the site but not to follow a directly urban solution as is the case in these examples.
Eco Homes. Eco Living. Briefing Document
Cristina Ferreres: James Longfield: Elina Spanoude
Eden Bio, Edouard Francois
This housing development by Edouard Francois contains a range of flats and terrace houses in a tight urban site within Paris. The context is urban and built up, as such the high density development plugs into the existing provision made for services. The buildings are designed with timber frames on the outside which will allow plants to grow up them covering the central flats.
Eco Homes. Eco Living. Briefing Document
Cristina Ferreres: James Longfield: Elina Spanoude
Flower Tower, Edouard Francois
Terraces in urban setting.
Eco Homes. Eco Living. Briefing Document
Cristina Ferreres: James Longfield: Elina Spanoude
Donnybrook Quarter, Peter Barber
Terraces in urban setting.
Eco Homes. Eco Living. Briefing Document
Cristina Ferreres: James Longfield: Elina Spanoude
School in Bangladesh, Anna Heringer
Enhancing the skills of the local population and building an awareness of environmental responsibility. Employment of future users in the building process
Eco Homes. Eco Living. Briefing Document
Cristina Ferreres: James Longfield: Elina Spanoude
Brief
Eco Homes. Eco Living. Briefing Document
5
Cristina Ferreres: James Longfield: Elina Spanoude
Passivhaus Specification
Correct orientation to maximize sun exposure
Free plan allowing adaptability where structural stability is concentrated on edges
Thermally insulated envelope spanning along three stories, minimizing thermal loss
New build buildings will use the Passivehaus specification, highlighting the following pricnicples: - An exceptional high level of thermal insulation - Well insulated window frames with triple low-e glazing - Thermal bridge free construction - Air tight building envelope - Comfort ventilation with highly efficient heat recovery. Heat loss at edges, corners, connections and penetrations are usually higher, hence reduction of these through prefabricated units should be used. Air tightness reduces the risk of structural damage. Advantages are: free from draughts, imporvement of sound insulation, saves energy and is comfortable
Eco Homes. Eco Living. Briefing Document
Cristina Ferreres: James Longfield: Elina Spanoude
Passivhaus Specification
Opening windows to achieve clean, pollen free, dust free air would result in heat losses greater than the total energy demand.
Access around the building, using external walkways and staircases
Air flows into the living room and bedrooms of the house and is extracted through the kitchen, bathroom, using an air exchange unit to filter and force the filtered hot air back in the space.
Eco Homes. Eco Living. Briefing Document
Cristina Ferreres: James Longfield: Elina Spanoude
Floor Plans
Eco Homes. Eco Living. Briefing Document
Cristina Ferreres: James Longfield: Elina Spanoude
Renewables
As shown before PassivHaus reduces the need for space and water heating, hence a low usage central boiler will be provided. The current wind speed is high enough to sustain a neighbourhood scale wind farm developed off the Benwell site.
Eco Homes. Eco Living. Briefing Document
Cristina Ferreres: James Longfield: Elina Spanoude
Brief Requirements
Density
Adaptability
Retrofitting
The concept demands a model of increased density in Benwell in order to create greater demand for amenities and services in the area to reduce the reliance of the neighbourhood on the city centre.
The ground floor terraces have been designed as a contemporary take on the Victorian Terrace which has proved itself resilient to changes over the past 100 years. The terraces which start out as houses and small office units should remain flexible for adaption in the future with a view to a wider variety of uses.
Recladding homes as a part of the retrofit is important as it is an externally recognisable aspect of change that can be acknowledged by the residents.
This density should remain sensitive to the existing tree lined suburban context.
Lifestyle Approach The density of the site should equate to roughly 100 dwellings per hectare this will create a high degree of activity in and around the site. The benefit of higher density will impact on the attempt to reach the passivehaus standard with homes effectively sharing heat and minimising loss through the building skin. The development should act as a centre for the neighbourhood as it is lacking a centre at the moment due to its low density being unable to support local shops and services. The development should remain adaptable to change over in the future as demands for the site and neighbourhood change.
As expounded earlier in the briefing document the case for retrofitting is particularly strong due to the number of people living in fuel poverty not only in Britain but within Newcastle and the neighbourhood as well.
The development aims to tackle the issue of ecological living on a real level, to demand a rapid and extensive change in the living style of the current and future occupants is unrealistic, especially in an area of lower income and employment levels. As such the development should work with individuals current lifestyles whist introducing change over a period of time. Some of these changes will be instantly noticable such as the shared car scheme for the new residents whilst others will develop over time such as habits developed from an increase in monitoring energy use. The adoption of a Passivhaus standard takes a long view in regards to the development, increased capital from the construction will be recovered over the period of occupation due to greatly reduced fuel bills. The added benefit of the Passivhaus standard is the relatively minimal impact of a wide variety of lifestyles within the development on the overall use of energy.
Eco Homes. Eco Living. Briefing Document
Cristina Ferreres: James Longfield: Elina Spanoude
Landscape Ecosystem
Transport
One of the key features of the development should be its clear allocation of space between the residents and indeed from those outside. Too often ‘communal’ space has resulted in unused space or space that has been appropriated by the ‘wrong’ type of people as is apparent currently on the site.
Emissions from transport contribute a huge amount to rising carbon levels. Our cities are currently designed to support the car and our lifestyles are based largely around this provision. In the long run our development is focussed on the area within a 10-15 minute walk however residents will initially and continually need to travel outside of this area regardless of how many services there are.
Provision should be made for private garden, shared access and controlled gardens for the residents who do not have personal gardens. Renewables. A Neighbourhood strategy for harnessing renewable energy should be considered to provide a more effective provision of electricity than individual alternatives. What may not be appropriate on site such as wind turbines due to the number of trees and the high degree of resulting turbulance could be made more effective somewhere within the wider context ie wind turbines on the Tyne where strong prevailing winds blow up and down the valley at different times of year.
We have addressed this in 2 ways. The first is by providing a greater emphasis on and access to the local bus routes that are located near to the site. The development turns toward a bus node to encourage residents to utilise this service. The second solution is to provide a shared car scheme which will provide residents with access to a car thereby increasing their mobility whilst ensuring that the overall number of cars is kept down.
Eco Homes. Eco Living. Briefing Document
Cristina Ferreres: James Longfield: Elina Spanoude