sustainable buildings & energy management
Cassiobury Hub
This much-loved community building was hailed as “an outstanding example of how modern sustainable construction can be provided simply” at the Hertfordshire Building Futures Awards.
CASSIOBURY Hub is a multi-purpose building in Cassiobury Park, Watford. Built as part of a major regeneration project led by Watford Borough Council, the community building won two awards at the Hertfordshire Building Futures Awards, which celebrates schemes at the forefront of sustainable design and construction. The project received £6.6m of funding -
£5m from the Heritage Lottery Fund and Big Lottery Fund, and £1.6m from the council. Cassiobury Park Hub creates a central destination point for the park’s several thousand annual visitors and ensures that the park’s landscape will be managed in a sustainable and coherent manner for years to come. Knox Bhavan Architects worked with
landscape architects LUC to deliver a seamlessly integrated building and landscape - the structure has been set into the natural slope of the land, minimising its impact and making it appear as a quiet single-storey structure when viewed from the south. When viewed from the north, the full extent of the building is revealed and the concrete podium upon which the terrace sits can be seen. Cassiobury Park is a Grade II Registered
190 acre landscape on the English Heritage list for Parks and Gardens. The landscape of the park was compromised in the latter part of the twentieth century by unsuitable
yet popular additions such as the paddling pools and associated structures. The awarding of the Heritage Lottery funding provided a once in a lifetime chance to restore this landscape and remove the latter eyesores while retaining the popularity of these facilities.
energy efficient A cornerstone of Watford’s ambitions for the new Hub Building and the HLF funding was that it should be an exemplar building in terms of energy use and sustainability. Designed to have minimal energy consumption, the building is orientated to take full advantage of the sun, and has been built with robust materials, maximising insulation and using energy generated by an array of solar panels on the south facing roof. A brise-soleil and overhangs protect windows from overheating and glare and a rainwater- harvesting tank collects water for flushing toilets. The lower ground floor is unheated and un-insulated along its perimeter, creating a buffer zone to the spaces at the centre which are heated by a low energy air- source heat pump, maintaining a constant temperature. A bio-diverse planted roof reduces rainwater run off and increases biodiversity. The ambition for minimal maintenance was achieved using self- finished concrete gabions, corten and larch. Inside, the first floor terrace houses the
exhibition and education space which can be divided using large sliding doors for flexibility. A café and balcony on this level overlook the popular paddling pools below. Full width north facing clerestory windows provide abundant natural light and sliding laser cut corten steel panels to the exterior can be positioned across the face of floor to ceiling openings for both shading and security purposes. Perforated in an abstract pattern (referencing the iconic cedar nearby) shafts of light penetrate the corten and add interest inside. The ground floor of the building
accommodates public toilets and sports 24
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good design and some clever thinking has created a park with its own distinctive character
and pool changing rooms. The service yard, for vehicles, refuse, plant, and storage are tucked away behind the public facing area. To make the building accessible for all, flush thresholds, accessible WC’s and changing rooms have been provided, and non-slip surfaces have been well received. The building has been designed with
materials carefully considered, taking into account the parkland landscape, with colour, texture, reflection and energy consumption all thought through. The total as designed primary energy demand is 47.3kWh/m2/year, 11 per cent lower than the Part L notional building 52.6kWh/m2/year. The roof mounted solar PV significantly offsets the energy demand of the building.
Building fabric details
Element Element design life
Exterior windows & doors
Exterior opaque walls
Exterior glazing/ cladding system
Exterior floors
Roofs
Interior fitout & finishes
25 yrs 25 yrs 25 yrs
25 yrs 25 yrs
Structure 25 yrs 25 yrs
Area-weighted U-values
0.9 UW W/m2k 0.14 W/m2k 0.9 UW W/m2k
0.17 W/m2k 0.12 W/m2k
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