New building minimises environmental damage

Used tyres and granulated blast furnace slag might not be products which immediately come to mind when one thinks of the University of Cambridge Botanic Garden. However, both are fundamental to minimising the environmental impact of a new research facility on the 40-acre site.

Construction is proceeding well at the six-million-pound Plant Growth Facility for the Department of Plant Sciences. The state-of-the-art facility will enable the Department to maintain plants under closely controlled environmental conditions, allowing studies on subjects ranging from the molecular basis of plant development, cell biology, photosynthesis and metabolism, to epidemiology and ecology.

The building comprises two large halls housing a series of growing chambers. To minimise the impact on its surroundings, the building’s roof is arched to reduce its apparent size and plants will grow up trellises at either end.

Sustainably harvested timber is used for the arched beams and the cladding. The blast furnace slag replaces cement in some of the concrete foundations – reducing carbon dioxide emissions which are associated with cement production. Stainless steel was selected for the roof covering for its durability and ability to be recycled at the end of the building’s life.

Most striking of all is the two-metre high bank of earth which has been built to conceal the five chiller units needed to control the environment within the building envelope and inside the growing chambers.

“We have formed the bank out of the gravel material dug out from the foundations,” explains architect Graham Black of RH Partnership. “This reduced the need to transport large volumes of materials in and out of the site. The bank has been retained with a wall made of used tyres filled with excavated material, avoiding the need for a concrete wall which saves CO2 emissions. We are promoting the use of one of society’s major scrap products – maybe we’ll try using fridges next time!”

Contractor Willmott Dixon reports that the project is running to schedule with completion due in September 2005.

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