UCL (University College London) Libraries Masterplan: Masterplanning Report

BDP were appointed to undertake a Masterplan for the UCL Main Library and the UCL Science Library and to identify how these buildings could be re-ordered to significantly improve the quality of the library environment and to facilitate the delivery of library services. An initial brief was agreed with UCL’s Estates Management Committee and a Masterplan Steering Group established including academic representatives, library staff and design consultants. To inform the development of this brief, UCL Library Services undertook a number of consultation exercises with users of the Library; students, academic staff and external users, together with Library staff. A number of visits to exemplar library buildings in the UK and continental Europe were also undertaken to inform the development of options for the buildings. Following the development and review of initial options for both the Main Library and Science Library, it was agreed a further, hypothetical New Build Central Library Option should be reviewed, to accommodate a relocated and consolidated library service encompassing 7 of the 16 existing libraries currently distributed across the UCL Estate

Turkish D-light : accentuating heritage values with daylight

Historic buildings have their own cultural identity, which is often related to their aesthetic qualities such as period characteristics (geometry, size, colour, form and shape), materials and construction. Daylight is one of the primary elements contributing to the distinctiveness of the visual environment of many historic buildings, but is rarely considered as one of the components that shape the character of a building when adaptive preservation schemes of historical buildings are planned. Many historic buildings were originally designed to accommodate activities different to their new use and preserving the quality of daylight that originally contributed to their visual identity is a challenging task. Maintaining the ‘day-lit appearance’ of a building can be particularly problematic if the building is to be used as a museum or a gallery owing to the artefacts’ conservation requirements. This work investigated the opportunities of maintaining the original ambient conditions of renovated historical buildings while meeting the required daylight levels of the proposed new use. The study utilised an annual daylight simulation method and hourly weather data to preserve daylight conditions in renovated historic buildings. The model was piloted in a Turkish bathhouse situated in Bursa, Turkey, that is currently under renovation. The simulation model produces 4483 hourly values of daylight illuminance for a period of a whole year using the computer program Radiance. It is concluded that daylight characteristics should be taken into account when developing a renovation scheme. With increasing pressure on valuing historic buildings in many parts of the world, the work reported here should be beneficial to those concerned with the conservation and adaptive reuse of historic buildings. The study findings could also be useful to those interested in predicting potential energy savings by combining daylighting and electric lighting in historic buildings

OCCUPANT SATISFACTION OF INDOOR ENVIRONMENTIN LIGHT OF INTEGRATED GREEN & WELL REQUIREMENTS

Buildings are the foundations of modern cities urban planning. People spend about 80-90% of their life in buildings “indoor environment / closed places”. Most successful models in developing countries set the people’s health and wellbeing in the center of focus of their Sustainable Development Planning Process (SDPP). Building architecture and design techniques developed across the time reached to the GREEN and WELL Buildings Architecture to be the cornerstone and key element of human health, accommodating and ensuring a high quality of life and wellbeing for all people at all ages. A thorough Literature review showed a gap between the Rated (LEED Certified) buildings and the occupants\u27 satisfaction. The research aims to address a proposal for a potential improvement of occupant health and wellbeing when simultaneously implementing the indoor performance requirements “rating systems” of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and the (WELL) Building Standard. The research proposal is based on the inferential analysis of the database survey of the Center of Built Environment (CBE) reflecting the individual occupant responses and the rating systems of the LEED and WELL standards. The research concludes that integrating the features of both systems significantly helps to improve the Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ); leading to a better occupants’ health, wellbeing, and productivity

Chapter 19 Noise pollution and its impact on human health and the environment

This chapter deals with (1) the basic theory of sound propagation; (2) an overview of noise pollution problem in view of policy and standards by the World Health Organization, the United States, and the European Union; (3) noise exposure sources from aircraft, road traffic and railways, in-vehicle, work, and construction sites, and occupations, and households; (4) the noise pollution impact on human health and the biological environment; (5) modeling of regional noise-affected habitats in protected and unprotected land areas and the marine environment; (6) noise control measures and sustainability in view of sustainable building design, noise mapping, and control measures such as barriers and berms along roadsides, acoustic building materials, roadway vehicle noise source control, road surface, and pavement materials; and (7) environmental noise pollution management measures and their impact on human health

City of Edinburgh Council Administrative Headquarters

Raking view of E. Market St. facade with window assemblies by Schuco; Built by the Glasgow office of BDP. A key objective of the project was to create a landmark building which demonstrates environmental excellence in all aspects of design and function. The City Council headquarters achieved a BREEAM 'Very Good' rating. The building was designed with 74 key performance indicators, including solar water heating, rainwater recycling, green (grass) roofs, natural ventilation and façades designed to exceed requirements. Another key objective of the project was to create a building which allows the consolidation of several existing city services departments (some 20 buildings) under one roof in an open plan office; it houses 1600 staff. Source: Building Design Partnership (BDP) [website]; http://www.bdp.com/ (accessed 6/29/2012

Jubilee Place Shopping Mall

general view, entrance, 2017Chelsea, London, SW3 3TD, U

City of Edinburgh Council Administrative Headquarters

Facade detail with brise soleil; Built by the Glasgow office of BDP. A key objective of the project was to create a landmark building which demonstrates environmental excellence in all aspects of design and function. The City Council headquarters achieved a BREEAM 'Very Good' rating. The building was designed with 74 key performance indicators, including solar water heating, rainwater recycling, green (grass) roofs, natural ventilation and façades designed to exceed requirements. Another key objective of the project was to create a building which allows the consolidation of several existing city services departments (some 20 buildings) under one roof in an open plan office; it houses 1600 staff. Source: Building Design Partnership (BDP) [website]; http://www.bdp.com/ (accessed 6/29/2012