ARC6010 Critical Study (Study Trip Presentation)

6010 Critical Study in Architecture Dea Arimbawa, Pei Lee, Iletutu Awosika, Oana Halapciuc, Gavinder Kandola

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INTRODUCTION

Since architecture and construction process produced 30% of UK’s total carbon emission,

sustainability in the industry is the major focus. Since then, a framework is published to help arhitects and others as a guideline to achieve net zero carbon emission on buildings.

To understand sustainability in architecture , we visit the one claimed sustainable building in

Royal Leamington Spa which is the Vitsoe Factory. From the study visit and research we came up with a hypothesis to critically analyse the sustainibility of Vitsoe Factory.

Should the WORLD be more like

?

Hypothesis

Methodology

Primary Research Site Visit, Interviews during site visit, Photographs

Secondary Research Online research : Official Websites, Design Magazines

Vitsoe Background

Company History • • • • •

• • • •

•

•

Founder – Niels Vitsoe Used to sell furniture in post-war Germany Was introduced to Dieter Rams by Otto Zapf Founded the company in 1959 with Otto Zapf Was originally called Vitsoe+Zapf but became Vitsoe in 1969 when Otto Zapf left the company First showroom opened in the heart of Frankfurt Became an important meeting place for the worlds design literati Vitsoe Ltd was first set up in the UK by Mark Adams in 1985 When Niels Vitsoe retired, Mark Adams became managing director of Vitsoe in 1995 When Mark Adams became director, he moved the corporate seat and production to London.

In 2017 the company moved from London to Royal Leamington Spa

Architects/Engineers history • Was originally designed by the managing director for Vitsoe, Mark Ad

ams, over a course of years.

• When the decision to move to Royal Leamington Spa was made, Mark

Adams recruited a team to bring the project to life, recruiting an

architect last.

• The first person he recruited to the team was Martin Francis, who is a

designer for super-yachts, and used to work for Foster & Partners.

• Next Mark Adams recruited James O’Callaghan, who is a structural en

gineer and one of the founders of Eckersley O’Callaghan • Then came Mark Skelly, an environment and service engineer, and one

of the founding directors of Skelly & Couch • Once the design was close to finalization, only then did Mark Adams

recruit an architect • The architectural company hired as executive architect was Waugh Thistleton.

Contextual Analysis

Growing as a company, vitsœ outgrew the congestion and space restrictions of London and moved to Leamington Spa. Leamington Spa is located only half a mile away from Midland Oak, an area that are often used as an area of distribution by multiple distribution companies. They are also located only 40 miles away from the nearest container terminals. The Leamington Spa branch location also located by the nearest train station with a direct line to Marylebone Vitsœ shop. They are also on the near buses stop and the national cycle route.

Key Legend vitsœ Private Building Public Building

Train Station

Interview

O: Hello and thank you for welcoming us today to visit Vitsoe!

Can you describe what it’s like to work here in this factory?

How do you get materials, what is the course of the materials and what happens when you receive them?

M: Hello and I am glad you came!

I don’t know exactly how or all the details about the materials course for our furniture. All I know is that we order strictly materials that we need to use. The producers send them to us and we store them each in the correct department, so that they are used in a useful way. We do not like to waste so everything we receive we use to produce the furniture.

We do not accept waste in here..

O: Can you explain how this factory is organised, where are the offices, the showrooms and the work place?

M: Sure! So, the offices from the entrance are moving in the new space where the glass is, if you can see? And here (left, where the main entrance is) is just a small showroom. Where the clients come in and we will speak about the systems (furniture system). So, yeah, we use the system example everywhere in the building. As you can see (on the right how you enter into the factory) here is the packing area. We assembly here everything and send the orders everywhere.

O: So you are an international brand?

M: Yes! Very international. This is one of the reason why we moved here. Because when we were in London based we had just a small place and we couldn’t got this sort of space in London, so we moved here.

D: I was going to mention that you moved from. London to West Midlands. How does that help you in term of cutting the carbon emission that happens when the distance is too long from the suppliers?

M: Yeah, I just going to say that (laughing), em, they had picked this area because now we are very close to our suppliers, maybe 10-15 miles at least, so the company tried to build something big enough to accommodate all the materials needed and stock fit in and also to have all our suppliers closer. So we try to find suppliers very local. So yeah, again this sort of space we couldn’t build it in London.

D: Sure! What about the workers, how the workers are feeling here? Especially, when we speaking about the light. I am looking at the roof design and you have a lot of light coming through.

M: Yeah...I mean how do you guys feel like? Like would you guys like to come and work in here?

All: Yeah, sure, totally!

M: Because is so bright in here, I mean yeah is raining 99,9% of the time, but, you know, when the sun is out, and by the way we can open the windows sometimes, is like an open space is a lot of light coming through is the open space idea that help us.

T: Do you have solar panels on the roof?

M: Yes, we have solar on the roof, and the windows are

north facing which means we get a lot of natural light and effective light as well. We have also underfloor heating, so we don’t actually heat the building and is about 19 degrees in here all year round.

Also we are using waste coconut skin to make our structure for the system chairs. Only two people know how to make this coconut structure, so they ever get sick at the same time...well no chairs (laughing).

O: So, you bring every material in this space (in the middle area of the building)?

M: Em, yes, so everything that we need it come in here, so gets delivered here, and that where it is come in this two big rooms (modular rooms), so some workers have their materials place somewhere in the reception space, other workers have their materials here, but basically everything comes in here first and everyone come here and they will find what they need. Everything in term of materials, that came in this space will be distribute to the correct department to be used.

T: Everything you design is made manually?

M: Yeah, so we do the plastic sheeting in here (in the middle left wing of the building), we have two machine technicians, so yeah, we do everything in here planning, the design, everything is based in this building.

O: What happens when something is breaking?

M: Hm, the system do break sometimes, but we repair it and use it again.

O: So, you are reusing everything?

M: As much as possible! And we also encourage our costumers to recycle everything.

O: Okay, so because you distribute all the materials for the system furniture to your customers, sometimes the system could broke? What do you do then?

M: If they get it broken, and sometimes is happened that, they can send it back and we repair it if is reusable. If is completely broken we can’t do anything else, and we usually send the broken materials back to our suppliers.

T: What is 606 system about?

M: Yeah...so 606 system is relating with the year when design for the system slightly change (1960). I am in the planning team we are planning these 606 systems for our customers. They email us with all the measurements that we need to know (walls measurements etc.) and we customise.

So we have 606 Universal Shelving System (1960), 620 Chair Programme (1962), 621 Table (1962).

Building Analysis

Circulation

Key Legend Circulation in both directions

Suppliers delivery access

Bicycle Room

The circulation is fluid. All workers can access any space without problems. Also, because it is an open space, workers can see and communicate with each others without barriers.

Key Legend Show room

Work Space

Bicycles Room is placed closed to the main entrance and its scope is to encourage the workers to use more bicycles rather than cars to come to the work place.

Key Legend Work Space

Work Spaces are situated in the middle and on the lateral space of the building. The work spaces from the lateral part are placed there because the materials come from the parking area (west area), and it is easier to bring the materials into the building. Also the work space from the middle space is used by the assembly team, they are placing the system units into the boxes and send it to the customers.

Public Entrance

Office Spaces

Key Legend Current Office Spaces

Kitchen, Canteen, Relaxing/Showroom areas

The offices are situated in the open glass spaces. The idea of open space is to have a better communication with the assembly team and also to create the image of a good “system” connection into the building between the departments.

Key Legend Showroom

The showroom is placed closed to the main entrance, so the visitors or the clients could have a “taste” of how the systems are working and they could also test them.

The relaxing space was design for the workers to sit there and relax, but could easily be a second showroom for the clients to sit there and discuss Relaxing Area/Showroom with the planning team about their wishes. Because the relaxing area is on the north part of the building and also closed to the big window, the impact is Kitchen much bigger having the natural view, the pond and the light coming through.

Canteen

The canteen and the kitchen are closed to each others and also opposite the relaxing space. All the members take their lunch together as a community and they also have different relaxing activities.

Building Analysis

Tectonic Analysis LVL Wood

150

150

150 150

130

Solid Wood

Glulam

24MPa

27MPa

75

LVL 48MPa

Length up to 18m

Cast Plate Glass

Polished Concrete Floor • Stain-Resistant • Improved Reflectivity and Ambient Lighting • Increased Slip Resistance • Less Maintenance • LEED Friendly • Reduced Tire Wear

Material Choices Analysis The vision of the Vitsœ’s building was to be “a clear, simple, elegant design which reflects Vitsœ’s product”. A vision well accomplished.

The choice of materials work cohesively to replicatethe ideals of the companies products.

The choice of LVL which provides the simplistic look within the building as well as being structrally capable to carry out the buildings functional needs and form as well as need of flexibility of space, the choice of plate glass being used to provide abundance of light into the building and the enforcing of the polished concrete floor pertaining maximising lighting.

Building Analysis

Tectonic Analysis

2

1 LVL Column 2 280mm chamfered beech LVL with routed service channel 3 35mm plywood cover 4 Shear wall 5 Slab edge protection : Galvanised steel cast into concrete slab 6 Neoprene slip to base of ply 7 Closed cellnsulation 8 Path of underfloor heating 9 500 gauge seperating layer 10 50mm insulation 11 DPM flexible waterproofing 12 Stanilised ground

1

4 5 6

3

12

7

8

9

10

11

Framework

The framework is a guideline to achieve net zero carbon in architecture and construction process, published by the Green Building Council. Our aim is to assess Vitsoe Factory building if it meets the standard based on the framework.

The framework contain 5 different steps, which are; 1. Establish Net Zero Carbon Scope 2. Reduce Constructon Impacts 3. Reduce Operational Energy Use 4. Increase Renewable Energy Supply 5. Offset any Remaining Carbon

Framework I

Establish Net Zero Carbon Scope 1.1 Construction 1.2 Operational Energy

Developer

• Provide a strategic location - Close to the proximity of suppliers - Affordable land cost compared to London • Build less for future expansion • Installing solar panels save electricity • Responsible for the maintenance of the factory

Contractor

• Time management - Done building in 23 days • Monitoring the carbon emission during construction • Manufacturing materials for construction that are easily obtainable

Establish Net Zero Carbon Scope

Designer

• provide design decisions • let sufficient daylight enter with huge windows and a sawtooth roof • concrete flooring finished with a polished • gloss surface • developed a structure inspired by products sold from Vitsoe

Framework II

Reduce Construction Impact Locally Sourced Materials As we went to visit the site, we interviewed one of the employee on Vitsoe. She mentioned that the material of the building are locally sourced within 15 miles radius from Royal Leamington Spa. So that reduced the carbon footprint for the transportation from the construction process.

Quick Contruction The main material of the building as mentioned before is made from beech laminate-veneer-lumber (LVL) that are manufactured off-site. So the construction process only takes 23 days to build.

That reduce the carbon footprint, energy resouces and the man-power cost.

Leamington Spa, United Kingdom

Framework III

Reduce Operational Energy Use

Maximised Daylighting. Sawtooth roof maximising usage of light during working hours, therefore having practically no dependency on power consuming lighting for building to be functional.

Framework III

Reduce Operational Energy Use

Artificial Lighting. Used very minimally in the building. Sole use is to highlight and give character to the permormance space as well as to be used when its dark outside.

Framework III

Reduce Operational Energy Use

Open Plan Versatile space: Enables for all areas within to building to utilise natural source of light and shared ventilation. Meaning all spaces could have a change in function and still be sufficient to use without needing additional running power.

Framework III

Reduce Operational Energy Use

Underground Heating. Keeping all parts of the building at 19 degrees all year round. Operational during the colder periods and not in the warmer periods, where open windows take over function with natural ventilation/cooling to maintain preverred temperatures within the building.

Framework IV

Increase Renewable Energy supply

On the opposite side of the skylights, Solar panels are placed. These create a clean flow of renewable energy that is used within the building and absorbs more sunlight as the reflected rays from the skylights are more likely to be absorbed by the solar panels directly opposite the skylight.

Framework V

Offset Any Remaining Carbon C O N N E C T E D

+Connecting the humans with the natural world. The building is locating in a area surrounding “ridge-and-furrow landscape, but wasn’t chosen just for the natural view but also for the rainwater and the soften road noice.

On the north side of the building is a pond that provides a habitat for wildlife, Foundry Forest overlooking this pond.

T O N A T U R E

P L A N N I N G F O R C H A N G E

H E A L T H Y H U M A N S

+There is so many evidences that artificial heating and lighting are causing humans’ immune system to weaken.

Vitsoe’s building is created to “expose its occupants to changing temperature and day-length. Intentionally it is warmer in the summer and cooler in the winter. Moreover, its size and layout ensure that much-needed exercise is gained simply from the daily routine, which includes everyone stopping to share food together.”

+”A building’s services have to change more quickly than its structure. The first floor plan room has space to accommodate future battery storage to allow the building to store solar-generated electricity for overnight use-and offer the potential to become self-sufficient.”

The reality of sustainability...

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

Less is more...

Cost In reality, Laminate-Veneer Lumber (LVL) used is really expensive to make and is also expensive to transport as the pieces are really large and heavy. The initial cost of the building was £5.75 million or £1,564/sq. m this makes the building way to expensive.

However, the building technically pays for itself in the long run.

The overall maintenance cost and running costs, would pay for itself as it would require much less maintenance, and the running costs would be extremely low in comparison to buildings not within its level of sustainability.

Style and Diversity Should the world style be minimalist? There has been an on going arguement about being minimalist, vice versa. With Vitsœ’s style, buildings become more of a ‘sustainable minimalist’ style . Further supported by the framework, adopting this style would adapt the “to build less is better” ethos.

Robert Venturi

Less is a bore...

Redo Does it make sense to redo all of the buidling to be like Vitsœ? To change the existing building to fit the sustainability standard, like Vitsoe, in reality we cannot do that. Furthermore, that would be a counter action as a lot of waste would be produced and that is against the the whole idea of making the attemot to go more sustainable/green.

Should the WORLD be more like

?

Conclusion

With the aim of achieving a more sustainable world, moving on, yes the world should be more like vitsœ. More buildings achieving as much success in incorporating the ‘Net Zero Carbon Buildings’ framework would greatly reduce the carbon footprint contributed to the world by buildings.