INTRODUCTION 1

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 SUMMARY

This report is an outcome of the term 2 Refurbishing the City part II project of the MSc-MArch Sustainable environmental Design program, 2021-2023.

Our aim for this term was to utilize the tools and analytical knowledge taught to enhance the environmental performance of the building and its surroundings. Understanding the demographics and the context played a vital role in structuring our design, followed by an attempt to achieve thermal and visual comfort for the users. Various passive design strategies were introduced in order to reduce heating load during winters and avoid overheating during summers. One of our major objectives was to achieve Net-zero carbon buildings with a detailed analysis of factors impacting the result like the properties of materials, compactness of the units, construction cost, etc.

The site is located in the Battersea district, of Wandsworth borough, by the river Thames. The aim is to develop a housing project of affordable homes in the Battersea area. The report is structured in several parts, starting with a general overview of the site, understanding the climatic context. The report further moves into articulating a design proposal. This took into consideration the COVID situation, resulting in work from home spaces and other open green spaces for the health and well-being of the occupants. The idea was to create a strong sense of community for the people of Battersea.

The report further dives into a series of indoor and outdoor studies, which involved daylight, wind, and thermal simulations which helped mold the design, keeping in mind occupancy comfort along with increased efficiency and environmental performance of the building.

The main goal was to combine all the above aspects to create energy-efficient homes, taking into account the limitations and opportunities that the site has to offer along with our term 1 knowledge to optimize the performance of the building and create experiential spaces for the community of Battersea.