Efficient, functional and modern apartments in Hyde Park rated BREEAM Excellent

31-35 Craven Hill Gardens is located to the north of Hyde Park, within the Bayswater Conservation Area in central London. The building is of late 19th Century origin and comprises five stucco-fronted townhouses with seven floor levels including the basement and mansard roof.

BREEAM Excellent (82.5%)
Version:
BREEAM Domestic Refurbishment 2012
Architect: TF Architecture Ltd
Building Services: KUT
Contractor: Bouygues UK
Assessor Company: Mendick Waring Ltd

About the building

This development has demonstrated that high-quality design and commitment from all stakeholders, can transform a 19th-century historic building into an efficient, functional, modern building, without compromising the architectural aesthetics of the surrounding area.

31-35 Craven Hill Gardens is located to the north of Hyde Park, within the Bayswater Conservation Area in central London. The building is of late 19th Century origin and comprises five stucco-fronted townhouses with seven floor levels including the basement and mansard roof.

The development involved the transformation of the existing buildings, previously used as a hotel, into a residential complex with 18 apartments in a mix of unit sizes, ranging from studio flats to four-bedroom dwellings.

Bouygues UK says “Sustainability is a core value for Bouygues UK. We are committed to constructing efficient buildings that exceed standards for green buildings, and assisting our clients in choosing innovative or alternative design solutions to deliver high- performance, energy-efficient and environmentally friendly buildings.
“We apply BREEAM methodology to the vast majority of our projects as it represents an efficient framework to meet green building national guidelines and deliver projects that exceed set standards. Going beyond the client’s brief and achieving BREEAM certification demonstrates our commitment towards efficient and sustainable development.”

Green strategy and Environmental features

External walls were improved with a layer of internal high thermal performance insulation and the existing windows replaced with improved high-performance double glazing, achieving a Building Regulations compliant standard and improving the overall efficiency of the development.

Energy efficiency measures were incorporated into the design, along with high-quality construction standards, better u-values for windows, high levels of insulation, a communal CHP engine (with backup communal gas boiler) and photovoltaic (PV) panels. The design optimises the use of natural systems by allowing passive solar gain and maximising the use of natural ventilation, to minimise the resource use and enhance the comfort of the users over the lifetime of the development. These measures have resulted in a 77.9% reduction over the pre-refurbished building emissions. The development has achieved a reduction of 111.5 tonnes CO2/ year when compared to performance of the existing building fabric and services efficiency.

The comfort of prospective occupants was extremely important for this project. The comfort of the rooms was carefully considered and only quality fittings, and inert or low VOC emission finishes, construction materials, carpets and furnishes were specified. High quality sound insulation, in line with requirement Hea 02, contributed to the indoor comfort of the occupants by reducing the likeliness of nuisance due to noise transmission.

The site met Considerate Constructors Scheme standards beyond compliance, achieving a score of 43/50. Risk to air quality, noise or nuisance to the neighbours were considered and best practices with respect to nuisance to neighbours and local fauna were adopted in line with Man 03 requirements.

NOx emissions arising from the operation and hot water systems in the dwellings are less than 40 mg/kWh. Sedum has been laid on the flat roofed areas to the rear of the property at first floor mezzanine level. The sedum roof has increased the ecological credentials and the biodiversity of the property, adding an area of natural habitat. In addition, the sedum reduces storm water runoff, neutralising the surface run-off resulting from the development.

A pre-demolition audit in line with best practice standards was undertaken to determine methods for the refurbishment and reuse of demolition material, and ensure waste was diverted from landfill. This resulted in just 9.3m3/100k of construction waste being generated, and 99.6% of demolition waste being diverted from landfill. Although demolition of the existing building was required, the extent of the demolition was limited to those parts of the building that prevented the optimal design of the dwellings. The façade was retained in order to maintain the heritage value of the site, which also helped to reduce demolition waste.

Water consumption has been reduced to from 96 to <107 litres per person per day, by incorporating water efficient fixtures and flow control fittings throughout the residential units, in line with the BREEAM requirements.

The development achieved 100% of credits for Mat 02 Responsible Sourcing of Materials. This meant careful planning and selection of construction materials to ensure all manufacturers held a high level of responsible sourcing certification. 100% of the timber used in this development was FSC certified and legally harvested.

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