Sustainable Design Awards: the architect on Portavadie Marina
published this on 8:34 am, Tuesday, 24th November, 2009Business| Cowal| Local Government| News| Sustainable Design| Tourism activities | Comments (rss) | Respond | Ping |
As we move to the close of online public voting this Friday (27th November) on the Argyll Sustainable Design Awards, we are running a series of features every day this week on a category that has attracted a great deal of attention and votes – the ‘New-build non-residential’ category – the public buildings.
We’re starting today with a set of responses (all four finalists have been asked the same questions) from Brian Stewart of Stewart Associates, architects for the Portavadie Marina project.
What was the most challenging thing about the brief for this building?
The client’s aspirations were to create one of the best marina facilities in Britain – for both sea and shoreside facilities. The site was a brownfield former oil rig construction yard site which had lain derelict since the early 1980′s and well known in Argyll as being a local eyesore. The opportunity to create something meaningful from the dereliction was challenging to say the least.
What excited you about it?
The client’s enthusiasm was infectious and the scale of their vision inspiring.
What did you want people to feel as they used the building?
That they’ve arrived at a building which has a sense of place… something pleasantly unexpected in a relatively quiet corner of Argyll. The progression of space within the building allows it to be explored at (literally) different levels but all with a common design theme and open views to the marina and beyond.
What did you want passers by to feel about the building?
Surprise, curiosity and a desire to visit.
What do you see as the key sustainable materials you used?
- Crushed stone and aggregates from the reclaimed seawall used as general fill and boatyard / car parking surfacing.
- Significant areas of reclaimed natural stone used throughout the building.
Both elements are continuing to be used in later construction phases.
What sustainable or energy saving features were you able to include in the building?
The design considered energy use from first principles. Argyll has fairly poor mains services infrastructure and the scale of development proposed was such that self sufficiency in energy terms could be considered as a realistic aim. The client group own large areas of local forest and are keen to utilise the resource. As such the development of a chipping / pelleting plant for the provision of biomass fuel is ‘on-site’ and the provision of a CHP plant on the north ( pier ) side of the site is being investigated to supply the growing development and feed back to the national grid.
The building is part of the first phase of a larger commercial development grouped around the marina. It will be connected to the site CHP bio-mass boiler plant once the remaining letting apartments and leisure facilities are constructed, providing space heating and hot water. This should happen within the next 3 years.
The building is designed to maximise daylight penetration to the interiors but be shaded from excessive solar gain. Early design models developed the theme of overhanging terraces / roofs to create a balance of the above in the principal public areas. As such, use of artificial lighting is minimised. When in-use it is controlled by pre-set scene settings to create ambiance and adequate task lighting – all fittings are low energy. In the tower, a class leading LED system is utilised providing general purpose, emergency and feature ( coloured ) lighting options.
The building is predominantly naturally ventilated throughout public areas with a ‘stack’ effect system utilised in the restaurant area.
What do you see as the most significant materials introduced into building practice within the last decade – and why?
Recognition of the need to consider the whole-life cycle of material use is fundamental to sustainable design. Use of reclaimed / re-cycled materials should be encouraged more – possibly by regulatory means. The development of LED and fibre optic lighting technology will have a huge impact on energy use for both new build and existing buildings as it continues to become brighter and more user colour-friendly. Multi-foil insulation materials are intriguing and could allow the use of slimmer but highly efficient wall and roof structures.
What do you see as the most significant operating systems introduced into buildings in the last decade – and why?
More sophisticated energy control systems for space/water heating, lighting control systems and whole building integration systems that minimise energy use.
With public buildings like this one – what sort of preparatory work do you do on work-flows or usage-flows or people-flows?
The building is effectively multi-use in that it provides staff, visitor and berth holder facilities within a single group of linked buildings. The rationale behind the solution was developed with the client, based on expected scenarios of low and peak season use.
The tower building provides all administrative and reception and meeting facilities with a high level viewing platform providing a 360 degree panorama.The use of this builing is effectively 24/7.
Similarly, the utilities wing ( changing, drying and laundry ) is in use 24/7 and is linked to the office tower by the glazed entrance foyer.
The restaurant is designed over two levels. In peak times, both floors are open. In quieter times only the ground floor is used providing a mix of lounge and restaurant seating. Both are supplemented by the large viewing terraces which are open to each floor level.
Kitchens and storage facilities are located at the western end of the building with a dedicated service yard access and the ability to serve both the restaurant and adjacent external courtyard.
All deliveries / refuse and servicing is carried out from a rear service court screened from public access points.
How did the results of this impact on your design for this particular building?
The different uses and patterns referred to above led to the linked block approach evident in the design. The public areas face the marina and are vehicle free. The service / staff areas are contained to the landward side of the marina and do not interfere with public circulation.
What, for you, is the single most important thing about any building that people live, work and relax in?
That it’s comfortable, relaxing with a good atmosphere and that the architecture is neither overwhelming or austere.
In terms of public buildings designed by other architects anywhere in the word – which is your personal favourite and why?
I’m an admirer of Feilden Clegg Bradley‘s work – especially over the past 10-15 years or so. They seem to have a clear understanding of client’s needs, adopt a contextual approach to individual designs and produce well detailed and environmentally conscious buildings. It would be difficult to cite a ‘favourite’ as such but if pressed, the Visitor Centre and Gallery at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park in Wakefield is very well thought out.
What sort of public building would you love to design?
This sounds a bit corny but I’m really looking forward to designing Portavadie’s leisure pool and spa building – hopefully continuing the ‘contemporary but comfortable’ common design theme. I’ve also worked on a few educational buildings – both school and higher, and enjoyed the particular challenge of resolving complex circulation / use patterns. (The pool and spa building is the one at the left hand end of the Phase 1 building now in use and at the immediate right of the full project drawing below.)
if you could choose a specific type of public building (in terms of what it would be for) that you feel would make a real difference to life in Argyll, what would it be and where would you like to put it?
Difficult question! Argyll is large in area, relatively diverse in style and has numerous small centres of population which aren’t particularly well connected by the road or river network. Again selfishly, I would have to propose that Portavadie is relatively near Bute and Cowal, connected by a direct ferry to Kintyre and mid Argyll and as such accessible to a large part of the local population. The existing and ongoing development will provide visitors with a variety of inside and outside pursuits with dining, meeting, relaxing, swimming, walking, riding and sailing opportunities – a “hub” for local residents and visitors alike. The indoor pool will, I suspect, be especially welcomed by the local residents.
Public online VOTING closes on Friday 27th November
To refresh your memory on features already published on this innovative Awards scheme and find other stories related to sustainable design: click on our Sustainable Design archive.
When you’re ready, this is where you click to vote - and we’ll keep this link available every day in each article we publish on this exciting initiative – until 27th November, the end of the public voting period.
Voting rules are:
- You don’t have to live in Argyll to vote.
- You may vote only once for one individual entry in any one category.
- You may vote in each category.
The categories you vote in are:
- Small scale residential (can be up to 5 units but this year all entries are single private houses)
- Large scale residential (normally public sector housing as this year)
- New-build non-residential (essentially public buildings of various kinds – and the category whose finalists we are featuring each day from now until – and including – Friday)
A panel of industry experts will decide on the winners in each category of the judged Sustainable Design Awards 2009. For Argyll will award a certificate to the winner in each category decided by the Public Vote. It will be interesting to see how the two results compare.
Get voting. You have until 5.00pm on Friday 27th November.
The additional photographs and drawings accompanying this article were provided by Brian Stewart of Stewart Associates.
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