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Saturday 29 April 2017

Stretching the boundaries of zero-carbon building

It looks good and it ticked all the boxes for 'sustainable design':



Dartington Primary School | Have Your Say

However, it had to be demolished only seven years after it was built:
'Visionary' £7m eco-school to be demolished because of leaky roof - Telegraph
Demolition of leaky primary school at middle of £7m law suit is set to begin | Plymouth Herald

The Architect's Journal has looked into it a little more:

Exclusive: Demolished eco-school’s design ‘fell below expected level of competence’


12 APRIL, 2017 BY ELLA BRAIDWOOD


A zero-carbon school by White Design, demolished last year, was damaged by water ingress ‘largely due to defects in the design’, a damning report has found

The 2012 report by the Building Research Establishment (BRE), obtained by the AJ under the Freedom of Information Act, sheds light into the demolition of Dartington Primary School in Devon just seven years after its completion. The school, built for £6.5 million, had previously been lauded for its groundbreaking use of sustainable architecture.


Exclusive: Demolished eco-school’s design ‘fell below expected level of competence’ | News | Architects Journal

However, whilst there are plenty of other fiascoes
Masdar's zero-carbon dream could become world’s first green ghost town | Environment | The Guardian

... there are many successful exciting projects out there:
London's cleanest, greenest homes - The great Grosvenor experiment


Including in the West Country:
The Emerald wins special mention at South West Tourism Awards | The Emerald Cornwall

And more local authorities are recognising the benefits of encouraging such architecture and design principles:
New design and conservation awards – Shropshire Council
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