We are creating a place the world will watch with wonder, on London’s iconic site of human ingenuity.
rough our masterplan, we will reimagine the very fabric of living, working and urban wellbeing for London and future spaces.
Attracting the world’s most inventive, imaginative and extraordinary minds. at place is Earls Court.
Nature
A celebration of nature and its ability to connect and revive.
Innovation
A showcase for climate and clean innovation and skills.
Our four place pillars underpin our vision and set the ambitions for the place we want to create.
Culture
A cultural ecosystem for the future of talent.
Neighbourhood
An inspiring neighbourhood designed for all stages of life.
Foreword
After four years of deep consideration and collaboration with stakeholders and local people, The Earls Court Development Company (ECDC) is delighted to present the ambitious future plans for this iconic Site.
We formed in 2021 during the lockdown imposed by the first global pandemic in a century, an era which was both disruptive and formative, demanding that we reflect and reassess how we will be living in the future. There could be no more engaging mission for a team specifically assembled to design a place fit for the 22nd century.
As a team, ECDC shares a passion for transformational inner-city projects, and collectively have wide-ranging experiences from diverse international projects. Together, we are driven to fulfil the opportunities of this complex strategic site for London and rightfully put Earls Court as a place back on the global map.
Our intent from the very beginning, was to take a different approach to community involvement in shaping design. Setting up as a local business and being right next to Site everyday, working closely with both local authorities, the Mayor’s office, local businesses and our neighbours has been fundamental in shaping our plans for the Site, which we believe are more relevant and exciting for it.
We have listened and taken huge inspiration from Earls Court’s heritage, as a place that dared — to showcase, to entertain and celebrate the spectacular. A place that was so clearly cherished for being bold and brave, welcoming people from across the globe.
Our plans retain that innovative spirit that embraces future thinking an approach we believe has become more important now than ever before. An approach that continues to drive
us to create a global exemplar of sustainability.
We understand our responsibility to deliver much needed homes and employment opportunities for London. Critical to achieving these aims is creating a place with personality, a place that once again becomes a destination with a broad cultural appeal and is fully inclusive to all that come to experience it.
The masterplan has been created to prioritise urban wellbeing and includes a network of Exhibition Gardens that will be open and accessible for everyone to enjoy. We’re creating a pedestrian-first environment alive with daytime and evening active uses. This generosity of open space is evident at key arrival points as well as the unique Table Park and Lillie Sidings.
Our commitment to create a better piece of city has been evidenced over the last three years as we have welcomed over 500,000 people back onto Site to enjoy a programme of events that nod to the past and point to the future of Earls Court.
ECDC began with a mantra ‘to make haste slowly’ and ensure we took the time to both listen and appreciate the world of Earls Court, which helped to establish the early vision to bring the wonder back to Earls Court.
Now, after over four years of consideration, we are proud to present our hybrid planning submission to the authorities for determination a key milestone to enable the future of Earls Court as a place, once again, to discover wonder.
Rob Heasman CEO e Earls Court Development Company
PROJECT DATA:
Client Earls Court Partnership Limited
Architect Serie Architects, Sheppard Robson and dRMM
Project Title LBHF Detailed Component
Project Number 15447
REPORT DATA:
Report Title Internal Daylight, Sunlight and Overshadowing Report
The purpose of this report is to ascertain whether the London Borough of hammersmith and Fulham (‘LBhF’) Detailed Component (buildings wB03, wB04 and wB05) of the Earls Court Masterplan will provide adequate levels of daylight and sunlight for the enjoyment of future occupants.
All habitable rooms within wB03, wB04, wB05 have been technically assessed for Median Daylight Illuminance (MDI) and sunlight exposure. In addition, all outdoor areas of public or communal amenity provided within these buildings have been tested for overshadowing through the Sun hours on Ground metric.
As typical of any scheme of this size and density, the design responds to a number of constraints. In particular, a balance has been sought between the daylight performance, the provision of private external amenity in the form of balconies, and overheating considerations.
The design has sought to respond to these constraints in a number of ways and those relevant for daylight and sunlight are discussed in detail in the following Sections.
Following the testing and reviewing of numerous design options to help ensure occupants had the greatest access to natural light possible, the results presented here represent a scheme optimised for daylight and sunlight.
In relation to daylight, the overall performance of the scheme is good and 1429 (72%) of the 1982 rooms assessed will achieve the minimum levels of Median Daylight Illuminance (MDI) recommended within the UK National Annex for residential buildings. This figure considers the higher recommendation of 200 lux for large combined living/kitchen/dining rooms (LKDs) and studios but it would increase to 1546 (78%) should 150 lux (suggested for living rooms) be considered acceptable as has been historically common in urban high-density developments.
In the areas with lower levels of daylight, the scheme has responded by amending the layouts to ensure the daylight is focussed on the most valuable areas (such as living areas over kitchen areas or bedrooms), increasing window sizes where possible and carefully control the balcony placement. The designs of each building do differ so detailed discussions of
each building’s performance are provided over the following pages.
Sunlight access is also good, with 74% (344 out of 462) of the residential units seeing the recommended solar exposure. within the student accommodation, a combination of studios and cluster units with shared facilities is provided. 26 out of 54 well exceed the minimum solar exposure within the shared kitchen/ dining space. A further 20 fall short only marginally, seeing up to 15 minutes less than recommended. Therefore, occupants of these units will have access to good levels of sunlight. Additionally, all students have access to good levels of sunlight within the shared amenity provided on L31, as well as on the open rooftop terraces.
The Proposed Development provides several outdoor amenity spaces with the most prominent being the podium area connecting wB03 and wB04 and the courtyard space between wB05-T1 and wB05-T2.
A number of smaller terraces provided within wB03 and wB04 complement the amenity offer.
Most areas well exceed the recommended solar exposure and will therefore be well sunlit. There are however three terraces within wB04 which are predominantly north-facing and so see lower levels of sunlight than those recommended on the equinox but see good levels of sunlight during the summer months.
Overall, therefore, the scheme has been optimised for daylight, sunlight and overshadowing. The levels of daylight and sunlight within the proposed units are generally good considering the buildings’ typology, density and setting. The scheme will also provide future occupants and users of the Site with access to good levels of sunlight in the amenity areas proposed. The above is in accordance with paragraph 129c of the National Planning Policy (`NPPF`) relating to the effective use of land, paragraphs 1.3.45 and 1.3.46 of the housing Supplementary Planning, as well as policy DC2 of hammersmith and Fulham Local Plan (February 2018).
2 INTRODUCTION
The Site occupies an area of approximately 18 hectares (179,956sqm) and is located in both the London Borough of hammersmith and Fulham (LB h F) and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC), in west London. The Site area associated with the RBKC hybrid Planning Application is approximately 8 hectares (78,561sqm) and the Site area associated with the LBhF hybrid Planning Application is approximately 10 hectares (101,395sqm).
The LBhF and RBKC administrative boundary bisects the Site along a northwest - southeast axis from Lillie Road to west Cromwell Road.
The RBKC Site is bound to the north by west Cromwell Road, to the east by warwick Road, Philbeach Gardens (including 1 Cluny Mews) and Eardley Crescent, to the south by Lillie Road and Old Brompton Road and to the east by the west London Railway Line (wLL), and 1 Cluny Mews.
The LBhF Site is bound to the west by North End Road, Beaumont Avenue, the former Gibbs Green School, properties fronting Gibbs Green Close, and properties fronting Dieppe Close, to the north by west Cromwell Road, to the east by the west London Railway Line (wLL), to the south by Lillie Road and to the south east by land comprising the Empress State Building and Aisgill Avenue.
The Site is a large brownfield site with railway infrastructure and comprises the following:
• Cluny Mews – The far northeastern part of the Site comprises an office building at approximately 4 storeys, an annex building which comprises 3 storeys of residential flats and associated paved roads with parking. This is currently activated as a temporary meanwhile use.
• Land formerly home to the Earls Court Exhibition Centres – The eastern and southeastern parts of the Site (roughly triangular shaped and to the east of the wLL) and the southwestern part of the Site (to the west of the wLL) comprise extensive areas of open hardstanding. These areas of hardstanding were previously occupied by the Earls Court Exhibition Centres which were demolished between 2015 and 2017. The Table spans the wLL between the hardstanding areas. Beneath is an extensive network of railway infrastructure including the District Line
and Piccadilly Line. Parts of this element of the Site are currently activated with temporary meanwhile uses.
• Empress Place – The southern and southwestern parts of the Site comprise 3-4 storey terrace buildings fronting Empress Place and Lillie Road. These are currently activated with temporary meanwhile uses.
• Bus Facility – To the west of Empress Place is a bus turning and waiting facility accessed from Lillie Road. This area comprises a bus layover area with capacity for up to four buses and a small standalone structure that includes welfare facilities for bus drivers.
• Lillie Bridge Depot (LBD) – The western, northern and northwestern part of the Site comprise the LBD. The LBD is currently used as a maintenance facility by London Underground Ltd (LUL) and as a TfL training facility. The LBD uses and on-Site structures comprise office buildings, rail tracks, road to rail vehicle (RRv) delivery and access point, articulated lorry access and delivery area, carpenter/ rail workshops, storage buildings, train stabling box, associated infrastructure and parking.
• 9 Beaumont Avenue – A 2 storey building located in the far northwestern part of the Site. This is currently activated as a temporary meanwhile use.
3 BRE GUIDELINES
The Building Research Establishment (BRE) have set out in their handbook ‘Site Layout Planning for Daylight and Sunlight a Guide to Good Practice (BR 209 2022)’, guidelines and methodology for the measurement and assessment of daylight and sunlight within proposed buildings.
3.1 INTRODUCTION
The BRE published the new edition of ‘Site layout planning for daylight and sunlight: a guide to good practice’ in June 2022 (BR 209), This is to be read in conjunction with BS EN 17037:2018 “Daylight in buildings”, the UK National Annex of the British Standard and the CIBSE publication LG 10 ‘Daylighting – a guide for designers’.
The BR 209 new edition contains amended methodologies for appraising the daylight and sunlight quality within new developments. Nonetheless, the main aim of the guidance is maintained: “to help rather than constrain the designer” as stated in Paragraph 1.5 of the new guidance.
The report provides advice, but also clearly states that it “is not mandatory and the guide should not be seen as an instrument of planning policy.” The guidance also acknowledges in its introduction that “Although it gives numerical guidelines, these should be interpreted flexibly since natural lighting is only one of many factors in Site layout design (see Section 5). In special circumstances the developer or planning authority may wish to use different target values. For example, in a historic city centre, or in an area with modern high-rise buildings, a higher degree of obstruction may be unavoidable if new developments are to match the height and proportions of existing buildings.” (Paragraph 1.6)
3.2 BS EN 17037:2018 AND THE UK ANNEX
The British Standard BS8206-2:2008 was superseded by the new European Standard on daylight BS EN 17037:2018 “Daylight in buildings”.
Following on from the review of the European Standard by a dedicated commission of UK experts, the British Standard Institution appended to BS EN 17037:2018 a UK National Annex which brings the recommended light levels in line with those of the former BS8206-2:2008.
The BS EN 17037 includes four criteria: daylighting, views, sunlight access and glare. Daylighting and sunlight access are considered relevant for residential buildings and therefore discussed within this report.
view out and Glare are not solely but mostly relevant in offices and schools, where occupants are more fixed to a certain location within a room. In residential habitable rooms, occupants tend to move more freely and therefore view out and glare are not assessed within residential buildings.
In relation to sunlight access, the assessment considers the hours of sunlight reaching a window on the 21st March.
3.3
DAYLIGHT
The BRE set out the methods for assessing daylight within a proposed building within section 2.1 and Appendix C of the handbook. This is based on the methods detailed in the BS EN 17037.
BS EN 17037 suggests two possible methodologies for appraising daylight:
• Illuminance Method
• Daylight Factor Method
These methodologies are discussed in more detail below.
whilst vertical Sky Component (vSC) is no longer directly used to calculate the levels of daylight indoors, this is still referenced within the BRE guidance as a metric to appraise the level of obstruction faced by a building and the potential for good daylight indoors.
This method of assessment may also be used to appraise the daylight quality in the early stages of the design, when room layouts or window locations are still undecided.
Vertical Sky Component (VSC)
This method of assessment can be undertaken using a skylight indicator or a waldram diagram manually or most commonly through the use of specialist daylighting software. It measures from a single point, at the centre of the window (if known at the early design stage), the quantum of sky visible taking into account all external obstructions. whilst these obstructions can be either other buildings or the general landscape, trees are usually ignored unless they form a continuous or dense belt of obstruction.
The vSC method is a useful ‘rule of thumb’ but has some significant limitations in determining the true quality of daylight within a proposed building. It does not take into account the size of the window, any reflected light off external obstructions, any reflected light within the room, or the use to which that room is put.
Illuminance method
Climate Based Daylight Modelling (CBDM) is used to predict daylight illuminance using sun and sky conditions derived from standard meteorological data (often referred to as climate or weather data). This analytical method allows the prediction of absolute daylight illuminance based on the location and building orientation, in addition to the building’s daylight systems (shading systems, for example). Annex A within the BS EN 17037 proposes values of target illuminances and minimum target illuminances to exceed 50 % of daylight hours over 50% or more of the assessment area.
BS EN 17037 sets out minimum illuminance levels (300 lux) that should be exceeded over 50% of the space for more than half of the daylight hours in the year. It also includes recommendations for medium and high daylighting levels within a space (500 lux and 700 lux respectively). It should be noted here, however, that these targets are specified irrespective of a space’s use or design.
The National Annex suggests that these targets can be challenging to achieve within residential settings, particularly in areas of higher density and so suggests lower targets can be considered in this situation. It should be noted here that the reduced targets suggested within the BS EN 17037:2018 National Annex are provided so as to be comparable with the previous BR209’s recommendations for ADF. These targets are:
• 100 lux for bedrooms
• 150 lux for living rooms
• 200 lux for living/kitchen/diners, kitchens, and studios.
It is however stated in paragraph C17 of the BRE that: “Where a room has a shared use, the highest target should apply. For example in a bed sitting room in student accommodation, the value for a living room should be used if students would often spend time in their rooms during the day. Local authorities could use discretion here. For example, the target for a living room could be used for a combined living/ dining/kitchen area if the kitchens are not treated as habitable spaces, as it may avoid small separate kitchens in a design”.
Daylight Factor method
This method involves calculating the median daylight factor on a reference plane (assessment grid).
“The daylight factor is the illuminance at a point on the reference plane in a space, divided by the illuminance on an unobstructed horizontal surface outdoors. The CIE standard overcast sky is used, and the ratio is usually expressed as a percentage.”
This method of assessments considers an overcast sky, and therefore the orientation and location of buildings is not relevant. In order to account for different climatic conditions, Annex A within the BS EN 17037 sets equivalent daylight factor targets (D) for various locations in Europe.
The median daylight factor (MDF) should meet or exceed the target daylight factor relative to a given illuminance for more than half of daylight hours, over 50% of the reference plane.
3.4 SUNLIGHT
The BRE provide guidance in respect of sunlight quality for new developments within section 3.1 of the handbook. It is generally acknowledged that the presence of sunlight is more significant in residential accommodation than it is in commercial properties, and this is reflected in the BRE document.
It states, “in housing, the main requirement for sunlight is in living rooms, where it is valued at any time of the day, but especially in the afternoon. Sunlight is also required in conservatories. It is viewed as less important in bedrooms and in kitchens where people prefer it in the morning rather than the afternoon.”
The BRE guide considers the critical aspects of orientation and overshadowing in determining the availability of sunlight at a Proposed Development Site.
The guide proposes minimising the number of dwellings whose living room face solely north unless there is some compensating factor such as an appealing view to the north, and it suggests a number of techniques to do so. Furthermore, it discusses massing solutions with a sensitive approach to overshadowing, so as to maximize access to sunlight.
At the same time, it acknowledges that the Site’s existing urban environment may impose orientation or overshadowing constraints which may not be possible to overcome.
To quantify sunlight access for interiors where sunlight is expected, it refers to the BS EN 17037 criterion that the minimum duration of sunlight exposure in at least one habitable room of a dwelling should be 1.5 h on March 21st. Table A.5 also establishes medium and high sunlight targets (3 and 4 hours).
This is to be checked at a reference point located centrally to the window’s width and at the inner surface of the aperture (façade and/or roof). For multiple apertures in different façades it is possible to cumulate the time of sunlight availability if not occurring at the same time. The reference point is minimum 1.2 m above the floor and 0.3 m above the window sill if present.
The summary of section 3.1 of the guide states as follows:
“In general, a dwelling or non-domestic building which has a particular requirement for sunlight, will appear reasonably sunlit provided that:
• At least one main window faces within 90 degrees of due south, and
• a habitable room, preferably a main living room, can receive a total of at least 1.5 hours of sunlight on 21 March. This is assessed at the inside centre of the window(s); sunlight received by different windows can be added provided they occur at different times and sunlight hours are not double counted.. “
3.5 OVERSHADOWING
The BRE guidance in respect of overshadowing of amenity spaces is set out in section 3.3 of the handbook. here it states as follows:
“Sunlight in the spaces between and around buildings has an important impact on the overall appearance and ambience of a development. It is valuable for a number of reasons, to:
• provide attractive sunlit views (all year)
• make outdoor activities like sitting out and children’s play more pleasant (mainly warmer months)
• encourage plant growth (mainly spring and summer)
• dry out the ground, reducing moss and slime (mainly in colder months)
• melt frost, ice and snow (in winter)
• dry clothes (all year).
Again, it must be acknowledged that in urban areas the availability of sunlight on the ground is a factor which is significantly controlled by the existing urban fabric around the Site in question and so may have very little to do with the form of the development itself. Likewise, there may be many other urban design, planning and Site constraints which determine and run contrary to the best form, siting and location of a Proposed Development in terms of availability of sun on the ground.
The summary of section 3.3 of the guide states as follows:
“3. 3 .17 It is recommended that for it to appear adequately sunlit throughout the year, at least half of a garden or amenity area should receive at least two hours of sunlight on 21 March. If as a result of new development an existing garden or amenity area does not meet the above, and the area that can receive two hours of sun on 21 March is less than 0.80 times its former value, then the loss of sunlight is likely to be noticeable. If a detailed calculation cannot be carried out, it is recommended that the centre of the area should receive at least two hours of sunlight on 21 March..”
3.6 FURTHER RELEVANT INFORMATION
CIBSE LG 10 ‘Daylighting – a guide for designers’.
This guide details the process of designing for daylighting. It outlines considerations of form, orientation, and other aspects involved in designing the building envelope to optimise natural light.
The guidance in this document is written primarily for buildings located within the UK, and will be most applicable to projects in northern hemisphere. however, the principles are universal, and can be applied to other locations if the appropriate weather data is used and local standards and regulations are respected
4 SIMULATION ASSUMPTIONS
In order to undertake the daylight and sunlight assessments set out in the previous pages, we have prepared a three dimensional computer model and used specialist lighting simulation software.
Calculation model
The three-dimensional representation of the Proposed Development has been modelled using the drawings provided by the architects. This has been placed in the context of their surrounding buildings. The illustrative massing has been provided by the masterplan architects while the surrounding buildings have been modelled from survey information, photogrammetry and OS. This allows for a precise model, which in turn ensures that analysis accurately represents the amount of daylight and sunlight available to the building façades, internal and external spaces, considering all of the surrounding obstructions and orientation.
The weather file recorded at Gatwick Airport was considered the most relevant for this assessment.
Surfaces reflectance
In general, the reflectance value to be applied to surfaces in the computational modelling follows the BR 209 Annex C, unless specified by the Design Team. Assumptions applied are:
• Interior walls - 0.7
• Ceilings - 0.8
• Exterior ceilings - 0.6
• Floors - 0.3
• Exterior ground and external obstructions - 0.2
Assessment Grids
For the daylight assessments, an analysis ‘grid’ is located within each room at working plane height (850 mm from FFL) and offset by 0.3m from the walls as recommended by BR 209.
Grid points are spaced by 0.2m .
Assessment Resolution
The climate-based daylight assessments have been undertaken on an hourly basis whilst the sunlight exposure assessment has been undertaken for every minute on the relevant days.
Glazing transmittance
In agreement with the wider Design Team, a glazing visible light transmittance (vLT) of 65% has been used. The framing factor has been taken from the models supplied.
Maintenance factors have been applied as per BR209 with 0.92 for windows not beneath an overhang and 0.76 for windows beneath an overhang.
TYPE 10
Table 01: Transmittance and maintenance factors
TYPE 11
TYPE 12
TYPE 13
TYPE 14
TYPE 15
4.1 GLASS TYPES - WINDOW MAPS
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Fig. 01: Southeast and South-west views - wB03
Fig. 02: North-east and North-west views - wB03
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Fig. 03: Southeast and South-west views - wB04
Fig. 04: North-east and North-west views - wB04
Fig. 05: South and East views - wB05
Fig. 06: North and west - wB05
4.2 SUMMARY OF CONCLUSIONS
The purpose of this report is to ascertain whether the LBhF Detailed Component (buildings wB03, wB04 and wB05) of the Earls Court Masterplan will provide adequate levels of daylight and sunlight for the enjoyment of future occupants.
The 40 acre Earls Court Masterplan is set in central London, within the Earls Court / west Kensington Opportunity Area. As typical of any scheme of this size and density, the design responds to a number of constraints. In particular, a balance has been sought between the daylight performance, the provision of private external amenity in the form of balconies, and overheating considerations (particularly since the challenging adoption of Part O).
The design has sought to respond to these constraints in a number of ways and those relevant for daylight and sunlight are discussed in detail on a per-building basis below.
Following the testing and reviewing of numerous design options to help ensure occupants had the greatest access to natural light possible, the results presented here represent a scheme optimised for daylight and sunlight.
In relation to daylight, the overall performance within wB03, wB04 and wB05 is good and 1429 (72%) of the 1982 rooms assessed will achieve the minimum levels of Median Daylight Illuminance (MDI) recommended within the UK National Annex for residential buildings. This figure considers the higher recommendation of 200 lux for large combined living/kitchen/dining rooms (LKDs) kitchen/dining rooms and studios but it would increase to 1546 (78%) should 150 lux (suggested for living rooms) be considered acceptable as has been historically common in urban high-density developments.
In the areas with lower levels of daylight, the scheme has responded by amending the layouts to ensure the daylight is focussed on the most valuable areas (such as living areas over kitchen areas or bedrooms), increasing window sizes where possible and carefully control the balcony placement. The designs of each building do differ so detailed discussions of each building’s performance are provided over the following pages.
Sunlight access is also good, with 74% (344 out of 462) of the residential units seeing the recommended solar exposure. within the student accommodation, a combination of studios and cluster units with shared facilities is provided. 26 out of 54 well exceed the minimum solar exposure within the shared kitchen/ dining space. A further 20 fall short only marginally, seeing up to 15 minutes less than recommended. Therefore, occupants of these units will have access to good levels of sunlight. Additionally, all students have access to good levels of sunlight within the shared amenity provided on L31, as well as on the open rooftop terraces.
The Proposed Development provides several outdoor amenity spaces with the most prominent being the podium area connecting wB03 and wB04 and the courtyard space between wB05-T1 and wB05-T2. A number of smaller terraces provided within wB03 and wB04 complement the amenity offer.
Most areas well exceed the recommended solar exposure and will therefore be well sunlit. There are however three terraces within wB04 which are predominantly north-facing and so see lower levels of sunlight than those recommended on the equinox but see good levels of sunlight during the summer months.
Overall, therefore, the scheme has been optimised for daylight, sunlight and overshadowing. The levels of daylight and sunlight within the proposed units are generally good considering the buildings’ typology, density and setting. The scheme will also provide future occupants and users of the Site with access to good levels of sunlight in the amenity areas proposed. The above is in accordance with paragraph 129c of the NPPF relating to the effective use of land, paragraphs 1.3.45 and 1.3.46 of the housing SPG, as well as policy DC2 of hammersmith and Fulham Local Plan (February 2018).
4.3 CONCLUSIONS ON DAYLIGHT AND SUNLIGHT
WB03
The daylight and sunlight potential on wB03’s elevations is mainly driven by the relationship with wB02 to the south and wB04 to the north. The proximity of these two buildings results in areas of reduced light potential at the base. As part of the design evolution, different massing configurations have been considered for wB02, to reduce its effects onto wB03 and the final height is a result of this process.
wB03 provides student accommodation, which is generally considered less sensitive in relation to internal light levels owing to the transient nature of its occupancy pattern. Nonetheless, all proposed rooms have been assessed for daylight and sunlight.
The building comprises both self-contained studios and cluster units where multiple bedrooms/study rooms share kitchen and dining facilities. In order to make the most of the available light, the design sought to locate the shared spaces in the areas with the daylight availability. As a result, almost all the shared kitchen/dining rooms and the two shared amenity area provided on L31 exceed the minimum daylight levels, often substantially.
Overall, of the 751 rooms tested within wB03, 458 (61%) achieve the levels of MDI recommended by the BRE. In addition, however, a further 35 studios and seven kitchen/dining rooms, whilst falling slightly short of the 200 lux recommended for a kitchen, achieve the 150 lux recommended for living areas and so can be considered acceptably daylit living/dining rooms. when holding these rooms to a target of 150 lux therefore, the overall number of rooms achieving the targets would increase to 500 (67%).
The remaining rooms are 31 cluster bedrooms and 219 studios and one kitchen/dining room. while all rooms have been provided with very generous windows, shortfalls are mainly seen behind the east and west elevations of the building, as a result of the interaction with wB02 and wB04.
Inevitably, where larger rooms are provided (i.e. the self-contained studios) it is more difficult to light the entire room to the recommended median illuminance.
however, the room layouts have been arranged with the living area at the front and the sleeping area at the rear. Therefore, greater levels of light than those reported for the room as a whole will be available closer to the fenestration.
In relation to the cluster bedrooms falling short of guidance, these are mainly located in cluster units where good levels of light are available within the shared space. The only kitchen/dining room falling short of the 150 lux target is located on L02 and falls short only marginally (126 lux).
Occupants of both the cluster bedrooms and the studios will also have access to an exceptionally well daylit amenity area on L31.
In relation to sunlight, 140 of the 337 studios meet or exceed BRE’s recommendation for solar exposure. 226 of the 359 cluster bedrooms meet or exceed the suggested sunlight levels.
when looking at cluster units, 26 out of 54 well exceed the minimum solar exposure within the shared kitchen/dining space. A further 20 fall short only marginally, seeing up to 15 minutes less than recommended. Therefore, occupants of these units will have access to good levels of sunlight. Finally, all occupants will be able to enjoy excellent levels of sunlight within the shared amenity area provided on L31 (seeing almost five hours of direct sunlight in mid-season). In addition, excellent levels of sunlight are available to the roof terraces.
Overall, wB03 is considered to perform well in terms of both daylight and sunlight. Occupants of the rooms that have been found to fall short of recommendations will still be able to enjoy good levels of natural light by using the shared spaces provided within their unit or within the building.
WB04
Owing to the considerable height of this building, excellent levels of light reach the windows located on the mid and upper levels. As is typical of dense urban environments, areas or reduced light potential are seen at the base of the building. This is a result of the obstruction caused the surrounding context.
As part of the design process, several features have been incorporated that are beneficial for daylight
and sunlight, in particular:
• the cruciform shape of the building’s footprint facilitates the provision of dual-aspect dwellings;
• living areas have been placed in corner locations so as to maximise the daylight ingress where this is typically most enjoyed;
• balconies have been located so as to overhang secondary windows or bedroom windows in order to prioritise the daylight ingress within the main living space; and
• windows sizes have been designed to optimise daylight ingress, while controlling overheating.
Overall, therefore, the building performs well. Of the 697 rooms tested, 585 (84%) achieve the levels of MDI recommended by the BRE. In addition, however, a further 36 combined L/K/Ds and studios, whilst falling slightly short of the 200 lux recommended for a kitchen, achieve the 150 lux recommended for living areas and so can be considered acceptably daylit living rooms. when holding these rooms to a target of 150 lux therefore, the overall number of rooms achieving the targets would increase to 621 (89%).
The remaining rooms are 33 LKDs and studios and 43 bedrooms.
where LKDs or studios have been found to fall short of guidance, this is a function of the generous room size and depth, combined with the surrounding obstruction and, often, provision of balcony. These are always dual-aspect rooms with at least two windows not obstructed by balconies. As is typically the case in buildings of this nature, kitchens have been positioned at the rear of the room (where it is darker) so as to maximise the levels of light to the living areas which will be better daylit. however, as the MDI metric considers the room as a whole this means that, when tested in open-plan form, large rooms sometimes cannot achieve the recommended levels of light at the mid-point no matter the amount of light reaching the front room (the living area). Should only the living areas be considered, then the test would report that much greater levels of light can be enjoyed by occupants and so, with it being common and good practice to locate kitchens in the darker parts of the floorplan, this is a common occurrence in open-plan LKDs.
where bedrooms have been found to fall short of guidance, this is result of them having been located in the more obstructed areas of the building and/
or below balconies, in order to prioritise the daylight ingress within the main living spaces.
The 278 proposed dwellings have also been assessed for sunlight and 78% of them (216) would meet or exceed BRE’s recommendation of one room or more seeing at least one and a half hours of sunlight on the equinox. The vast majority of these units (210) achieve the recommended sunlight exposure within the main living space, which is considered preferable by the BRE. Given the central London and urban nature of this development within an opportunity area, this should be considered a good result.
The 62 units falling short of guidance located behind the northerly portion of the building. In any high density development, there will be a number of units with levels of sunlight below those recommended by BRE and in this case, this is a function of their orientation. Nonetheless, these units will offer an excellent outlook, particularly those located on the upper storeys.
Overall, wB04 has been optimised for daylight ingress, whilst balancing the overheating requirements and is considered to perform very well in terms of daylight and sunlight.
WB05-T1 and WB05-T2
The design of these buildings follows the same design principles already outlined for wB04, namely:
• a cruciform shape has been adopted for the building’s footprint, which facilitates the provision of dual-aspect dwellings (100% habitable dualaspect units1 and no single-aspect north-facing units);
• living areas have placed in corner locations so as to maximise the daylight ingress where this is typically most enjoyed;
• where fenestration is obstructed by balconies, additional windows have been provided to maximise the light ingress; and
• windows sizes have been designed to optimise daylight ingress, while controlling overheating.
The levels of light reaching these two buildings are influenced by one another and by the relationship with the surrounding context, in particularly by the proximity with wB04. Therefore shortfalls are seen
1 habitable dual-aspect units as defined within the Design and Access Statement.
predominantly behind the west elevations.
Overall, the buildings performs well. Of the 534 rooms tested, 386 (72%) achieve the levels of MDI recommended by the BRE. In addition, however, a further 39 combined LKDs, whilst falling slightly short of the 200 lux recommended for a kitchen, achieve the 150 lux recommended for living areas and so can be considered acceptably daylit living rooms. when holding these rooms to a target of 150 lux therefore, the overall number of rooms achieving the targets would increase to 425 (80%).
The remaining rooms (20%) falling short of guidance are 91 LKDs and 18 bedrooms.
The few bedrooms seeing levels of light below those recommended are located on the lowest storeys and most fall short only marginally.
w here LKDs have been found to fall short of guidance, this is a result of the combination of the following:
• the more obstructed outlook caused by the surrounding buildings;
• the effect of balconies, which inherently reducing the daylight ingress to the windows set below them; and
• the generous room size.
however, all living areas have been provided with multiple windows and, even if this was not always sufficient to light the whole room to the recommended median, much greater levels of light than those recorded for the room as a whole will be available to the front part of the room, close the fenestration.
In relation to sunlight, the 184 dwellings have been assessed and 70% of them (128) would meet or exceed BRE’s recommendation for solar exposure. The vast majority of these units (103) achieve the recommended sunlight exposure within the main living space, which is considered preferable by the BRE. The 56 units falling short mainly do so owing to their orientation. not having a southerly aspect. The only four units with a southerly aspect falling short of guidance are located at the base of wB05-1 and are shadowed by the wB05-2 opposite.
Overall, wB05-1 and 2 have been optimised for daylight and sunlight ingress, whilst balancing the overheating requirements and provision of private
amenity and are considered to perform well in terms of daylight and sunlight.
4.4 CONCLUSIONS ON OVERSHADOWING
The BRE recommend that for an open amenity space to be well sunlit throughout the year, at least 50% of its area should see two or more hours of sunlight on the equinox. An overshadowing assessment has therefore been undertaken for the areas of communal amenity provided within the scheme. The results of this assessment are shown in Section 8 of this report.
In addition, sun exposure assessments have also been undertaken for the equinox and summer solstice in order to provide a better understanding of the sunlight availability throughout the year.
The Proposed Development provides several outdoor amenity spaces with the most prominent being the podium area connecting wB03 and wB04 and the courtyard space between wB05-T1 and wB05-T2. A number of smaller terraces provided within wB03 and wB04 complement the amenity offer.
Most areas well exceed the recommended solar exposure and will therefore be well sunlit. There are however three terraces within wB04 which are predominantly north-facing and so see lower levels of sunlight than those recommended on the equinox but see around three to five hours of sunlight in June.
The levels of sunlight seen within these three spaces are very much in line with expectations for terraces of this nature and again, should direct sunlight be wished for outside of the summer months, this can be attained elsewhere in the Site.
Overall, the design will provide occupants and users with access to well sunlit areas of public and communal amenity throughout the year.
Fig. 07: Top view
Fig. 08: Perspective view
Fig. 09: Floor Plan
Fig. 10: Floor Plan
Level 04
Table 01: Assessment Data
Fig. 11: Floor Plan
Table 01: Assessment Data
Fig. 12: Floor Plan
01: Assessment Data
Fig. 13: Floor Plan
Level 07
Table 01: Assessment Data
Fig. 14: Floor Plan
Table 01: Assessment Data
Fig. 15: Floor Plan
Table 01: Assessment Data wB03 Level 09
Fig. 16: Floor Plan
Table 01: Assessment Data
Fig. 17: Floor Plan
Level 11
Table 01: Assessment Data
Fig. 18: Floor Plan
Level 12
Table 01: Assessment Data
Fig. 19: Floor Plan
Table 01: Assessment Data wB03 Level 13
20: Floor Plan
Fig.
Level 14
Table 01: Assessment Data
Fig. 21: Floor Plan
Fig. 22: Floor Plan
Level 16
Fig. 23: Floor Plan
Level 17
Fig. 24: Floor Plan
Level 18
Fig. 25: Floor Plan
Fig. 26: Floor Plan
Fig. 27: Floor Plan
Fig. 28: Floor Plan
Fig. 29: Floor Plan
Fig. 30: Floor Plan
Fig. 31: Floor Plan
Fig. 32: Floor Plan
Fig. 33: Floor Plan
Fig. 34: Floor Plan
Fig. 35: Floor Plan
Fig. 36: Floor Plan
Fig. 37: Floor Plan
Level 31
Table 01: Assessment Data
Fig. 38: Floor Plan
Level 32
- LEVEL 32
Table 01: Assessment Data
Fig. 39: Floor Plan
Table 01: Assessment Data
WB04 TOWER PLANS
WB04_Level 02
Fig. 40: Floor Plan
Table 01: Assessment Data wB04 Level 03
03
Fig. 41: Floor Plan
Table 01: Assessment Data wB04 Level 04
WB04_Levels 04-15
Fig. 42: Floor Plan
Table 01: Assessment Data wB04 Level 05
WB04_Levels 04-15
Fig. 43: Floor Plan
Table 01: Assessment Data wB04 Level 06
WB04_Levels 04-15
Fig. 44: Floor Plan
Table 01: Assessment Data wB04 Level 07
WB04_Levels 04-15
Fig. 45: Floor Plan
Level 08
Table 01: Assessment Data
WB04_Levels 04-15
Fig. 46: Floor Plan
Table 01: Assessment Data wB04 Level 09
WB04_Levels 04-15
Fig. 47: Floor Plan
Table 01: Assessment Data wB04 Level 10
WB04_Levels 04-15
Fig. 48: Floor Plan
Level 11
Table 01: Assessment Data
WB04_Levels 04-15
Fig. 49: Floor Plan
Level 12
Table 01: Assessment Data
WB04_Levels 04-15
Fig. 50: Floor Plan
Table 01: Assessment Data wB04 Level 13
WB04_Levels 04-15
Fig. 51: Floor Plan
Table 01: Assessment Data wB04 Level 14
WB04_Levels 04-15
Fig. 52: Floor Plan
wB04 Level 15
Table 01: Assessment Data
WB04_Levels 04-15
Fig. 53: Floor Plan
Table 01: Assessment Data wB04 Level 16
Fig. 54: Floor Plan
Level 17
WB04_Levels 17-25
Fig. 55: Floor Plan
WB04_Levels 17-25
Fig. 56: Floor Plan
WB04_Levels 17-25
Fig. 57: Floor Plan
Level 20
WB04_Levels 17-25
Fig. 58: Floor Plan
Level 21
WB04_Levels 17-25
Fig. 59: Floor Plan
WB04_Levels 17-25
Fig. 60: Floor Plan
Level 23
01: Assessment Data
WB04_Levels 17-25
Fig. 61: Floor Plan
Level 24
WB04_Levels 17-25
Fig. 62: Floor Plan
Level 25
WB04_Levels 17-25
Fig. 63: Floor Plan
WB04_Levels 26-32
Fig. 64: Floor Plan
WB04_Levels 26-32
Fig. 65: Floor Plan
WB04_Levels 26-32
Fig. 66: Floor Plan
WB04_Levels 26-32
Fig. 67: Floor Plan
WB04_Levels 26-32
Fig. 68: Floor Plan
WB04_Levels 26-32
Fig. 69: Floor Plan
WB04_Levels 26-32
Fig. 70: Floor Plan
Table 01: Assessment Data
WB04 TOWER PLANS
WB04_Level 33
Fig. 71: Floor Plan
Table 01: Assessment Data
WB04_Level 34
Fig. 72: Floor Plan
Table 01: Assessment Data
WB04_Level 35
Green Roof
Fig. 73: Floor Plan
Table 01: Assessment Data
WB04_Levels 36-38
Table 01: Assessment Data
WB04_Levels 36-38
Table 01: Assessment Data
WB04_Levels 36-38
Fig. 78: Floor Plan
- LEVEL 39
Table 01: Assessment Data wB04 Level 39
Fig. 79: Floor Plan
Fig.
Fig. 81: Floor Plan
Fig.
Fig. 92: Floor Plan
T1 Level 14
Table 01: Assessment Data
T1 Level 15
Table 01: Assessment Data
Fig. 95: Floor Plan
Fig. 96: Floor Plan
T2 Level 03
Fig. 97: Floor Plan
T2 Level 04
Table 01: Assessment Data
Fig. 98: Floor Plan
T2 Level 05
01: Assessment Data
Fig. 99: Floor Plan
Fig. 100: Floor Plan
T2 Level 07
Table 01: Assessment Data
Fig. 101: Floor Plan
01: Assessment Data
Fig. 102: Floor Plan
8 OVERSHADOWING ASSESSMENTS
Ov ERS h ADOw ING ASSESSMENT
(BRE RECOMMENDS 2+ h OURS OF SUNLIG h T ON 21ST MARC h FOR AT LEAST 50% OF
BRE TEST - 21ST MARCh SUN HOURS ON GROUND
Ov ERS h ADOw ING ASSESSMENT
SUN EXPOSURE ON GROUND - 21ST MARCH (SPRING EQUINOX)
21st March (SPRING EQUINOX)
LONDON
Latitude: 51.4
Longitude: 0.0
Sunrise: 06:02 GMT
Sunset: 18:14 GMT
Total Available Sunlight: 12hrs 12mins
Ov ERS h ADOw ING ASSESSMENT
SUN EXPOSURE ON GROUND - 21ST JUNE (SUMMER SOLSTICE)
