Box Twenty were appointed by AHR Architects on behalf of Bristol City Council to undertake M&E and sustainability consultancy roles for these two affordable residential and commercial developments in Bristol. This project was taken to RIBA Stage 3 for Tender and was completed in a full 3D Revit Environment.

These deveopments are both on brownfield sites but in different parts of Bristol.

The projects are a predominantly residential comprising a total of 82no. dwellings consisting of 37no. houses and 45no. apartments with landlord ancillary areas, commercial space on the ground floor of some of the apartment units and external parking distributed around the sites. The residential housing units are 2-storey and the residential apartments are 3 and 4-storeys from ground (including commercial space), with first to third floors as residential.

Box Twenty have proposed an innovative ground source heat pump solution to provide heating and hot water to the development via an “in-ground” passive water loop / borehole array which feeds into each dwelling via in-ground manifolds.

These serve Kensa “Shoeboxes” which are the active part of the system containing the heat pump units and hot water cylinders within each of the dwellings.

We have also proposed that ventilation to all units be provided by MVHR units within each house and apartment.

All lighting will be 100% low energy via use of LED lighting throughout with suitable automated and time-clock control as appropriate in common / landlords / car parking areas.

By undertaking the above measures we have demonstrated that 22% CO2 reductions can be achieved without the scheme requiring any PV panels, which the client was keen to avoid using.

The project is currently out to Tender and we hope to be appointed to complete the design on behalf of the successful contractor.