In the studio this week we received our new brief which is to design an innovative Urban Hub for SEPA (the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency) within the architectural shell of an existing warehouse. Our designs should be sustainable and we must design for the health, ecology, and spirit of the natural world.
Last summer I was lucky enough to do some work shadowing at Nicoll Russell Studios in Broughty Ferry. Whilst I was there they were working on the Hillcrest Headquarters which is situated on Explorer Road in Dundee . I feel this will be useful to look at as part of my research for my current project as Nicoll Russell incorporated many environmental features into their design. This building aspired to be one of Dundee ’s “greenest” buildings and to be given an excellent rating by BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method). The headquarters uses natural and recycled materials, its framework is made from timber along with the flooring and roof structure. Natural ventilation and solar shading is used in the design and a biomass heating system will keep the building and its occupants warm. To check out some images fom the Hillcrest site or more work by Nicoll Russell click here to go to their website.
So now the research begins. I’m quite excited to find imaginative office designs and happy that this brief encourages us to design with the environment in mind.
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