General Civil Engineering

Case studies of structures with a BREEAM rating above 85 (outstanding)

University of Bradfords Bright Building.

(Picture: Saif Suleman, 2016)

Launched in 1990, the Building Research Establishment Environmental
Assessment Method (BREEAM) is the UKs leading project infrastructure
sustainability rating board. BREEAM rates the sustainability of structures based
on a range (primarily 12) of environmentally friendly factors, these include and
are not limited to; energy, waste, water, materials and land use. Each standard is
rated according to a specified criterion, for example: relating to water
encourages sustainable water use in the operation of the building and its site.
Issues in this section focus on identifying means of reducing potable water
consumption (internal and external) over the lifetime of the building and
minimising losses through leakage. (BREEAM, 2016)
The overall BREEAM rating is a make-up of all the standards and is divided into 6
ranks; Outstanding (85), Excellent (70), Very good (55), Good (45), Pass
(30) and Unclassified (<30).
This blog will focus on a structure
that is rated Outstanding. This rank only came in to place in 2008 to give an
incentive to companies to aim higher. According to Tim Bevan (Principal
Consultant BREAAM, BRE Global) Many of those going for Outstanding already

want to construct a highly sustainable building - that is their starting point and
they tend to be very closely engaged in the process.' (Building4Change, 2016).
The Bright Building: Constructed in 2013 and located on the city campus of the
University of Bradford, the Bright Building is the highest rated building in the
education sector by BREEAM in the world! It carries an eyebrow raising rating of
95.2%, which is a good 15% above that which is required for an outstanding
structure.
Rather than matching each of the 12 BREEAM factors to what the building
incorporates (which would be rather boring), I will divide sustainability in the
built environment into 3 interlinked headings and then discuss how each can be
found in the Bright Building. The three headings are recycling, energy efficiency
and use of renewable (Low-Carbon) energy.
Recycling: Almost the entire building is constructed from recycled material, both
Lytag concrete for the upper floors and Hempcrete for the external walling. In
this article, I would like to focus on Hempcrete over Lytag. Hempcrete is
produced from the recycled woody stem of the hemp plant, combined with
locally sourced crushed limestone aggregate. What makes it an exceptional
material is that it is better than Zero-carbon, which means more Carbon is
absorbed than is released into the atmosphere. This is because the CO 2 absorbed
in growing the hemp is greater than that released in the crushing, transportation
processes etc. Another useful property of Hempcrete is its ability to breathe
allowing for regulation of moisture; this benefits the health of the occupants and
prevents degradation of the wall. A minor disadvantage though is that it is
structurally weaker than normal concrete yet it costs roughly the same. However,
in this case study strength is not the defining factor and it is safe to say
Hempcrete is a brilliant choice.
Energy efficiency: The Bright Building uses the standard yet effective methods in
this category. Firstly, the large glass windows are south facing which allows for
higher amounts of sunlight to enter the building, taking advantage of natural
lighting during the day. These glass windows are also double-glazed, which is a
well-known preventer of heat loss. Heat is maintained in the building as the air
gap between the two glass layers acts as an insulator, preventing heat from
escaping. Another energy efficient system is the three solar chimneys found on
the roof; these chimneys can provide heating, cooling and ventilation as long as
they are receiving sunrays. When ventilating, the chimney is heated and the
layer of air inside becomes hotter thereby rising and drawing out the air below it.
As this air leaves the building, more air enters from openings on each floor thus
creating a ventilation cycle. If heating is required then the chimney is closed and
the heated air remains within the building.

Solar Chimney ventilation process (Brown and DeKay, 2013)

Use of renewable energy: The structure contains a number of solar photovoltaic
panels that are south facing. The solar panels go about their business of
harnessing the Suns renewable energy and converting it to electrical energy. In
this building though, the panels are linked to an air source heat pump (ASHP).
Although it needs electricity to work, the ASHP uses much less electricity than
traditional electrical heating systems. In this case, the electricity it does need
comes from solar panels anyway, making it more efficient than gas systems as
well. The ASHP operates with two coils, one on the inside and one exposed to the
outside air. The coil on the outside has a liquid refrigerant that absorbs heat from
the air until it boils into a gas; this gas passes through a compressor that
increases it temperature. Finally, it re-enters the internal coil and releases the
stored heat into the air, whilst condensing back into a liquid.
There are many other sustainable technologies found in the Bright Building
including rainwater harvesting, LED lighting, green roof and internal garden
(which could form an ecological/green subtopic on its own). Its high BREEAM
rating is clearly justified and although not a structural marvel it is definitely an
example of a step towards a sustainable future.
REFERENCES:
BREEAM. 2016. BREEAM. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.BREEAM.com.
[Accessed 2 October 2016].
Building4Change: What makes a BREEAM Outstanding building? 2016.
Building4Change: What makes a BREEAM Outstanding building? [ONLINE]
Available at: http://www.building4change.com/article.jsp?
id=1055#.WAZ6beiANBc. [Accessed 3 October 2016].
G.Z. Brown and Mark DeKay, (2013), Solar Chimney ventilation process [ONLINE].
Available at:
http://sustainabilityworkshop.autodesk.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/
core-page-inserted-images/solar_chimney_-_swl.jpg [Accessed 14 October 2016].
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