Sanderstead Road, Croydon, UK
About the Buildings
This new housing development is set on a derelict brownfield site, a little under half a hectare in size, on Sanderstead Road in the London Borough of Croydon.
It comprises a three-storey block of 38 one and two bedroom flats, partly constructed over three new ground floor commercial units, with two blocks of three-storey semi-detached, four bedroom houses in the courtyard area to the rear.
Croydon is an environmentally proactive borough council, and sets standards that exceed government targets. In line with this, a condition of the granted planning consent was for the development to achieve an Ecohomes rating of Excellent.
Further information
Key Facts
- BREEAM rating: Excellent,
- Score: 75.41%Size: 42 units,
- Stage: Design,
- BREEAM version: Ecohomes 2006.
Overview of Environmental Features
- A well located development site with good access to local amenities and public transport,
- Surface water run-off fully attenuated through the use of sustainable drainage technology and on-site percolation,
- Timber frame construction with significant insulation achieving good thermal performance,
- All energy efficient internal and external lighting,
- Photovoltaic solar panels,
- Environmentally sound materials specification,
- Ecological enhancements in accordance with the recommendations of an accredited ecologist,
- Careful design consideration given to the provision of daylight,
- A commitment to improved sound insulation at the properties in order to exceed the requirements of building regulations by three decibels.
The BREEAM Assessment
The development performed well across most categories, but particularly in relation to Materials and Management.
The Design & Build contractor fully embraced its responsibilities, operating excellent procurement and site management procedures whilst adopting environmentally aware design development.
Building Services
Heating and hot water services are provided by highly efficient SEDBUK Band A natural gas condensing boilers, with photovoltaic panels serving the communal lighting and electrical services.
All internal, external and communal space lighting is energy efficient.
Green Strategy
The development used a highly insulated and responsibly procured timber frame, resulting in good thermal performance and environmentally sound construction.
Surface water run-off was managed on site using sustainable drainage techniques, however the water collected for irrigation was excluded from the design calculations and consequently the overall site storage exceeds the 100% attenuation requirement.
The thermally efficient, highly insulated timber frame construction, in conjunction with 100% energy efficient lighting and natural gas condensing boilers, will ensure reduced heating and running costs for the social housing tenants. The use of photovoltaic panels to serve the communal spaces, whilst meeting the renewable energy targets for the development, will also offer reduced running costs for the landlord.
Project Team Details
- Client and Developer: Metropolitan Housing Trust,
- Contractor: Mansell Construction Services,
- Architect: AHP Architects & Surveyors Limited,
- BREEAM Assessor: AHP Architects & Surveyors Limited.
Mark Lydall, AHP Architects & Surveyors said:
"BREEAM certification was a requirement of the environmentally proactive borough council, which also ensured that Housing Corporation funding was available for the development. Appointing an architect with ‘in-house' accredited BREEAM Assessors, ensured that the design development maintained a focus on the target environmental rating."
