Green belts, boots, braces… and hearts: Our favourite sustainable UK Developments
Our buildings, towns, cities and infrastructure has a clear role to play in enabling the UK to achieve its climate commitments, here are some developments that are leading the way:
Greenwich Millennium Village, London
Our first example is the Greenwich Millennium Village in London, which is designed to be a regenerative community that promotes biodiversity and the regeneration of the surrounding environment. It includes features such as green roofs, rain gardens and bird boxes, which help to create a self-sustaining ecosystem that benefits both the environment and the local community.
BedZED (Beddington Zero Energy Development) located in Sutton, South London, consists of 82 homes and 1,405 square metres of workspace, and was designed to be carbon-neutral, with zero net energy consumption and zero net carbon emissions. It incorporates a number of sustainable design features, including passive solar heating, natural ventilation, and rainwater harvesting. The development also uses renewable energy sources such as solar panels and a wind turbine, and features a combined heat and power (CHP) plant that generates electricity and heat for the development. As the development is located on a floodplain, the buildings are designed to be able to withstand flooding up to 1.5 metres deep too. The development also features green roofs, which help to reduce the risk of flooding by absorbing rainwater and slowing down the rate of runoff and features a closed-loop water system, which collects rainwater and wastewater and recycles it for use in toilets and irrigation.
Another excellent example of a net zero, climate resilient, and regenerative housing development in the UK is the Hanham Hall development in Bristol. The development consists of 185 homes, and was designed to be carbon-neutral, with zero net energy consumption and zero net carbon emissions. Incorporating a number of sustainable design features, including passive solar heating, natural ventilation, and rainwater harvesting, the development also uses renewable energy sources such as solar panels and a biomass boiler, which burns wood chips sourced from local sustainable forests.
One Planet Living, Oxfordshire
Our last example of an ongoing initiative supporting net zero, climate resilient and regenerative housing developments in the UK is the One Planet Living developments near Oxfordshire. These developments are designed to be sustainable communities that are net zero carbon and resilient to climate change. They include features such as solar panels, rainwater harvesting, electric car charging points and green roofs, which help to reduce carbon emissions and promote sustainable living.
Net zero, climate resilient, and regenerative housing developments are an important part of the transition to a low-carbon economy in the UK. These developments provide comfortable and affordable housing for all its residents.
If you are thinking about ‘how to’, ‘where do we start’, and ‘what next’ for your developments, drop us a line for a free consultation - our team at aThink Architects are ready to help you create ways to reduce your development's carbon footprint - and be sustainably built too.