The new Environment Agency
office in Ely has achieved the Building Research
Establishment Environmental Assessment Method
(BREEAM) 'Excellent' standard. This means that
factors such as the energy use, construction materials
and water efficiency of the building all meet
the highest environmental standards. And all this
has been achieved while still keeping the building
within a strict budget and timescale.
The new building will provide
desks for 48 people, with various meeting and
interview rooms, a kitchen, full disabled access
and car and bicycle parking.
Staff based in Ely include Environment
Officers who monitor compliance with environmental
regulations, deal with pollution incidents and
investigate environmental crime; flood risk management
staff who map flood risk in the area and manage
any flooding that does happen; and operations
delivery staff who check and maintain Environment
Agency structures such as sluice gates and monitoring
stations.
Using the BREEAM standard, the
project team ensured that everything from the
initial demolition of the old building (which
could not be renovated), the way the site was
managed, the products specified and design of
the building met the 'Excellent' standard.
Working with architects Pearce
Bottomley, simple choices, such as specifying
double-glazed timber windows coated in recycled
aluminium instead of UPVC (highly environmentally
damaging in its manufacture and unrecyclable at
the end of its life), recycled aluminium roofing
and water-saving spray taps, were made.
Other features, such as a weather
station on the roof working in conjunction with
sensors in the building to monitor external and
internal conditions, can be included at the design
stage and greatly improve the working environment
without the need for air conditioning systems.
Windows are triggered to automatically open and
close for ventilation, with voids in the building
acting as chimneys so that air circulates avoiding
the build-up of CO2, which leads to that 'muggy-headed'
feeling. The voids also allow light to come from
the top floor to bottom, reducing the need for
artificial light.
The Building Management System
(BMS) helps save money as well, by optimising
heating and lighting, so employees are kept comfortable
and energy bills are minimised.
Lights are turned on and off
depending on light levels and if the area is in
use, with a condensing boiler heating water to
200 less than it would be with a conventional
boiler for the underfloor heating.
Zones within the building are
individually metered as well, so that managers
can see where the energy is being used and make
adjustments to reduce it if possible.
People won't notice that the
loos flush with less water, or that there's an
automatic leak detection system, but it will show
on the building's total water usage. But people
will notice that if they are a wheelchair user
there's a platform lift they can use on their
own, and that the kitchens have lower level worktops
in places so they can use them easily.
The building contractors themselves
also made sure that during the building phase
the site was run on best environmental practice
grounds. Builders often put all their waste into
one skip which gets sent to landfill, but the
contractors on this job, Lindum Sturgeon, Peterborough,
ensured that any waste was segregated to maximise
what could be reused and recycled, and minimise
what went to landfill.
Paul Woodcock, Anglian Regional
Director said, "I'm really pleased to see
this building completed, especially as it has
reached the BREEAM 'Excellent' standard. I'm sure
our staff will enjoy working here, not just because
they know it's well built in environmental terms,
but also because it will be a very pleasant building
to be in."
Local MP James Paice said,
"What the Environment Agency has done here
is nothing particularly complicated or difficult.
If all the architects and builders in this area
could work to BREEAM standards in the way the
Environment Agency has done, our environment and
our workforce would benefit greatly."
