PortZED is a project for Brighton and Hove with a commitment to achieving the highest standards of sustainability and the lowest carbon footprint, created by Colin Brace of BohoGreen and top architects Bill Dunster and Alan Phillips
Sustainability is key to all of our futures, lowering emissions and reducing power consumption will no doubt be the route to securing our future. But to achieve that goal takes cutting edge technology, inspired and even visionary design and, of course, faith.
The demand for new homes grows at an alarming rate and, given our coastal location and the surrounding swathe of outstanding countryside, available land on which we can build new homes is often hard to find.
Down on Shoreham Harbour the changing nature of an industrialised port has left large empty spaces that have become urban wastelands, weed and litter strewn. They are not a pretty sight nor do they give a good impression of our city.
BohoGreen have come up with a scheme that takes this unloved urban wasteland and turns it into a vibrant modern development that will provide homes and community facilities and raise the profile of the city when it comes to quality architectural ventures and eco-friendly building projects.
Working with top architects APZED; a partnership between two award-winning practices Alan Phillips Architects (APA) and world renowned zero carbon designer Bill Dunster of ZED Factory, the proposed PortZED development is a project born of passion for environmental issues and for great design and also the need for new homes.
“This project is one of the best proposals for sustainable living we have seen at design review”
Should it get the support and permissions needed to go ahead it will transform a slice of our coastal border from derelict wasteland to stylish residential district with massive appeal and international kudos.
Developments of this nature often gather detractors and lobbyists who enjoy a campaign and love to say no, not in my backyard. But for every detractor there must be an equal number of people who would be happy to see this kind of pursuit of excellence go ahead, people who embrace the need for new homes, the development and implementation of new technologies and the excitement of modern design that a project like PortZED embodies.
Latest Homes asked the design team to explain more about this exciting proposal.
Alan of APA: “APZED’s first move was to split the development into six detached buildings, each shaped like a lozenge and rotated into the prevailing wind. The rounded noses of each building will bend the wind into the voids, activating an array of vertical axis turbines.
The breaks between one building and another makes for a very porous terrace that will allow sunshine to penetrate the scheme, and provide viewing corridors that will frame views to the Port and beyond from around the neighborhood.”
Bill Dunster, Director at ZED Factory commented that, “wind turbines work well when there’s a lot of wind and there’s certainly a lot of it in Brighton. We’re taking advantage of aerodynamically-shaped blocks and using technology that is well proven provided it’s used in the right time and place.
We just brought all the lessons from BedZED and applied them, with Alan, on this very specific and beautiful site to create a true zero-carbon and zero-waste project. It’s an attempt to get away from all the greenwash and really deliver what it says on the packet. The buildings are designed to maximise energy systems, turn them into pieces of kinetic art, be exciting places to live and visit. It’s a very exciting project.”
“Instead of a single continuous monolithic slab, which would have been unfriendly, the design had to be broken down, polished, punctuated, and articulated,” Alan continues. “APZED knew that the gaps between the six buildings of the development would be very expensive, but recognised that with every new building, there has to be a transaction between the traditional aspirations of an established community, and the greater good of the development in terms of future housing needs, land availability, regeneration and progressive renewable technologies.”
“We’ve taken a lot of time,” says Bill Dunster. “We’ve done our public consultations and explained what we’re doing. On balance this is much less contentious than other developments and genuinely tries to do the right thing in the right place for the right reasons.”
“The buildings have been designed and refined so as to appear to be suspended over a folded glass canopy that is delicately poised and floats above the boardwalk and community facilities,” Alan explains. “The separating voids, delicacy of the architectural design, and kinetic apparatus, combine to translate a large development into a sequence of visually stimulating parts that minimises the overall visual impact.”
“We are content that the annual energy requirement will be met by a combination of wind, solar and biomass,” adds Bill. “We are adapting conventional helical type turbines specifically to meet the performance requirements of this site, and have an electronic brake system that stops the turbines whenever they exceed the council’s agreed noise criteria or flicker becomes a nuisance to adjoining properties.
“We have checked the local weather files, assumed the turbines are shut down overnight and at high windspeeds, modelled the self-shading on the building integrated photovoltaics, and found local sources for woodchip supply in the Port. There is only one biomass flue at the north east corner of the site, and emissions of clean burn wood smoke meet guidelines for urban areas and are DEFRA approved.”
Colin Brace of BohoGreen stated: “We have worked very closely with the planning department, designers and stakeholders over a period of three years to create a development of the right height, scale and employs leading-edge technologies which are entirely appropriate to the area.
With progressive schemes such as this there is always an element of nervousness from the local community and considerable time has been taken to review their initial concerns and further analysis was undertaken to ensure that the scheme falls well within all recognised guidelines. Planning officers are being encouraged by us to provide additional comfort to residents by recommending further conditions to safeguard the local amenity.”
“It’s actually a really good thing for the renewable energy industry, if strict planning environmental performance criteria require innovative new solutions that will go onto become the next set of industry standards,” says Bill. “That is exactly what has happened in this case.”
Hove MP Mike Weatherley stated: “Many of my constituents care deeply about both sustainability and architectural integrity and I am pleased that Hove has been chosen for this innovative project. Local residents do have concerns about various aspects and I know that Colin and his team will work hard to provide practical solutions where possible.
“Due to its national importance and to ensure mistakes have not been made, the government watchdog CABE have carried out an expert independent assessment of the proposals and confirmed that “the PortZED development at Shoreham is an example of how a good architectural concept and zero carbon solutions can come together successfully.
It clearly shows that high level environmental construction, green energy provision – here strongly signified by the wind turbines – and measures to enable a low carbon lifestyle can also produce an architecture that is appropriate for the Brighton and Hove seafront… this project is one of the best proposals for sustainable living we have seen at design review.”
As a further endorsement of the scheme, central government has awarded funding to create a visitors’ centre to provide an information resource to the general public and a green business hub for the nurturing of green start-up businesses in the environmental technology sector, where the city has a real advantage and could generate real jobs.
Tony Mernagh of the Brighton and Hove Economic Partnership has welcomed the development and commented: “One day all developments will be expected to be built to this specification, in the meantime it further helps to cement the city’s reputation for sustainable building.”
The scheme has also received funding from the Technology Strategy Board to carry out further research in conjunction with a number of universities to develop products and strategies to mitigate the effect of climate change.
Chris Todd of Friends of the Earth stated: “It is unusual that BHFOE enthusiastically supports new development, but in this case, the group believes that the developers have put a lot of thought and research into their proposals… This is rare and something that BHFOE strongly applauds. BHFOE believes that this exemplar development should be granted planning permission and trusts that it will receive strong backing from the City Council.”
Colin Brace added: “We hope that as national government and other professional bodies have rigorously examined and endorsed our scheme, that this will provide the city with the confidence to grant consent for this iconic development.”
For more information email info@bohogreen.co.uk or visit www.bohogreen.co.uk
