Haymills - Industrial Development - Southwold, The Environmentally Friendly Brewery
Date: 07 Feb 2006
Stowmarket based contractors, Haymills, has commenced building a £5.8m technologically advanced and environmentally friendly beer distribution warehouse for Adnams in the coastal town of Southwold.
The 42-week project will see the 4,400 sq m warehouse trial a new construction method that will utilise hemp, lime and chalk blocks to create the walls. This construction material uses less energy to manufacture than conventional concrete and has been used before by architect Ralph Carpenter of Modece Architects - who has been championing the benefits of hemp in his Suffolk village of Hartest, which is filled with 'hemp-houses'.
The 470mm thick warehouse walls will have a cavity wall constructed of two skins of blocks, which are then filled with a hemp-lime mix. The blocks need a high percentage of lime and a stone dust aggregate to give them the necessary strength - but this is not so effective when it comes to thermal performance. The cavity infill for this particular project will therefore have a much higher proportion of hemp to provide better insulation - so much so that according to lime product specialist Limetec, the building will not require any plant to prevent the cool beer stored inside from warming up.
Furthermore, the hemp construction is extremely green as it also locks carbon dioxide up in the finished structure. This is due to hemp absorbing carbon dioxide as it grows and the lime absorbing carbon dioxide as it sets. Very little energy is required to produce the materials and build the walls - and once these walls are constructed, the hemp acts as an extremely good insulator allowing the walls to "breathe", keeping damp at bay. Alongside these innovative blocks an internal and external door system will be utilised to create an insulation tunnel that will maintain the warehouse temperature at a constant 11°C - reducing the need for refrigeration units.
Additional unique aspects of the project include the use of 40-metre Glulam beams as a crucial element of the roof structure. This glued and laminated wood is from a sustainable source and the manufactured beams are said to be the longest ever used in Britain on any construction development. As part of the design consideration the Glulam beams, once in place, will over-hang each side of the completed building, offering shading - which in turn helps to maintain that crucial cooling temperature on the inside of the warehouse. In order for the beams to get to site they will first start their journey in Denmark, then make their way to Lowestoft via boat, before being transported with a police escort south along the roads of Suffolk to site.
The roof itself is Sedum, a living carpet of thick fleshy plants and grass (grown locally from Mildenhall), which will provide not only a structural and aesthetic benefit, but will reduce energy costs and remove carbon dioxide and other pollutants from the air. Combined with the warehouse being situated low in an old gravel pit, the green Sedum roof will literally camouflage the building, integrating it with the surrounding countryside and minimising the impact it will have on the view for passers by. Solar panels located on the roof will also provide 80% of the operation's hot water supply.
Rainwater stored in the Sedum will be harvested from the roof, recycled and used in the warehouse and for washing vehicles. Furthermore, waste water will be past through a septic tank and through reed beds making it pure enough to return to nearby ponds.
Pending a formal and independent assessment, Adnams, the Design Team and Haymills are striving for a Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) Excellence Rating for the building.
Andy Wood, Adnams Commercial Director says, "We believe our plans are ground-breaking for an industrial building of this scale. Working with the architect and contractors we are going out of our way to ensure environmental benefit throughout. The site is a disused gravel pit and as such the building will instantly take a lower setting on the landscape. As much as possible we want the Adnams Distribution Centre to blend in with the surrounding countryside."
Incorporating loading areas and administration facilities the completed development will provide Adnams with a distribution centre double the present capacity of the Victoria Street site, which it will replace. The building will be operational in September 2006 and firmly establish Adnams as one of the most environmentally efficient breweries in Europe - as well as significantly improving the distribution of "beer from the coast."
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