Illustration of Macintosh Village, top left is The Green Building. Courtesy of Taylor Woodrow, Terry Farrell & Partners
Case

Manchester: Green Building secures reduced carbon emissions

A disused industrial area in Manchester in England is undergoing transformation into a modern community, integrating the former commercial area with the surrounding urban space. The Green Building was completed in 2005 as the first on the site, functioning today as a landmark for the new neighbourhood. The building is constructed entirely of environmentally friendly materials and comprises numerous environmental technology solutions which, among other things, markedly reduce carbon emissions.

 The Green Building has 32 flats, a medical clinic and a private daycare institution for 120 children. The 11-story building stands out in the cityscape with its distinctive architecture, wind turbines and solar panels on the roof. A number of environment technology solutions help to reduce carbon emissions by 60% compared to those of an average residential property.

At the heart of the Green Building is an atrium, which creates natural ventilation and allows sunlight into the building. Warm air from each flats flows into the atrium and as it rises, cool air is drawn into the flats. The flow of air is regulated by computer-controlled apertures in the glazed roof of the atrium.

The building's cylindrical shape rface area in relation to the residential area. Large, three-layer thermal windows on the south side of the building maximise energy yields from sunlight influx, while smaller windows on the north face avoid unnecessary cooling. Together, the use of recyclable insulation, the atrium, the building's cylindrical shape and thermal glass, ensure optimum thermal efficiency and minimise energy consumption.

The Green Building, February 18 2007 by Terry Wha, Flickr Creative Commons

Solar panels on the roof provide full heating and hot water in the flats, while 2.5 kW wind turbines supplement the building's power supply. Waste sorting facilities have been installed to maximise recycling by the residents, and composting facilities are also under development. Low flow water saving technologies are used throughout and the flats have showers rather than bathtubs.

The Green Building was built exclusively from environment-friendly building materials. The building is considered to be a leading example of sustainable building and has won prizes, including the Civic Trust Award, one of Britain's longest standing environmental architecture and planning awards. The Green Building is one of England's most advanced sustainable building projects.

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Making the Change

Key Learning Points

Compared to Denmark, the United Kingdom it is far more customary for urban development to be based on the lead taken by private players. Private investors thus have considerable influence when it comes to planning architecture, urban transformation processes. This applies to both private and public spaces.

The Green building which, contrary to this custom, was built with the help of government subsidies, has helped attract attention to the transformation of Macintosh Village. Manchester's use of the Green Building as a flagship has in this way underpinned private investors' belief in the scheme's success in the market. Private-driven development involving renovation and transformation of the district gathered momentum after completion of the Green Building.

The state of upheaval in the financial and property markets has impacted on the distribution of roles between the authorities and private investors and brought realisation of the Macintosh Village scheme to a halt. The city council has no means of ensuring that urban development projects are carried through, which means that the market plays a decisive role in realisation and development of the individual schemes.

Process

1820
Charles Macintosh built a textile factory in the area which later becomes Macintosh Village.

January 2003
Construction of the Green Building in the heart of Macintosh Village begins.

January 2005
Inauguration of the Green Building.

2006
Private-sector driven development involving renovation and transformation of the district gathers momentum.

2009 and on
Turmoil in the financial and property markets staff turnover in both the public administration and at Taylor Woodrow make it difficult to define a clear status of the overall scheme, or to say how close it is to implementation. However, both consultants Drivers Jonas and investors Taylor Woodrow are adamant that the rest of the scheme will be brought to fruition. It is simply a question of when the economy will facilitate completion of the remaining projects in the Macintosh Village master plan.

Facts

City Facts

Country: England
City: Manchester
Population: 464,200 (2008 est.)
Area: 115.65 km²
Population density: 3, 815/square kilometre (2008 est.)
GDP per capita: $36,700 (2008 est.)

Sources: Wikipedia, Manchester, CIA World Factbook

Project facts

The Green Building, completed in 2005, is the first of a number of projects planned for the Macintosh Village in Manchester's Southern Gateway area. The ambition is for Macintosh Village to be a modern district in which former industrial areas will have better links with the surrounding city. Development in the district follows a structural plan that comprises new and existing buildings, public spaces, roads and paths, as well as public and private service functions.

According to the plans, the district will cover an area of some 1.7 hectares and will comprise 50,000 m² of housing, the equivalent of some 700 homes in the form of flats and townhouses. In addition, the plan includes his 3000 m² for commercial and public purposes. Transformation of the area will include renovation of the old textile mills and construction of two 21-storey blocks of flats.

The master plan for Macintosh Village and drawings for the Green Building were the work of the firm of architects Terry Farrell & Partners with the assistance of landscape architects Camlin Lonsdale. Taylor Woodrow Development Ltd is the developer responsible for both the district and the Green Building. The British government programme to reduce carbon emissions has partially covered the cost involved in building the Green Building with a high sustainability profile.

Facts for Thought

Although the term 'green building' can be understood in a multitude of ways, it is generally agreed that green buildings have to be designed to minimise the impact on urban environment, the nature, people and their health.

A green building must, among other things:

• Efficiently utilise energy, water and other resources.
• Protect the health of residents and improve employees' productivity.
• Reduce waste, pollution and environmental impact.

Media

YouTube

 US footage about green buildings

Google Map

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Dig this

Blog entry: Creating a dense and green city

Winners of the FormShift competition initiated by the City of Vancouver challenges the city to be denser, greener and more exciting

Learn more

Fact/Quote

Today I challenge our nation to commit to producing 100 per cent of our electricity from renewable energy and truly clean carbon-free sources within ten years. This goal is achievable, affordable and transformative. Al Gore, Constitution Hall, Washington DC, 17 July 2008

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