Trelowarren Sustainable Tourism Development
Trelowarren Sustainable Tourism Development
G A L E & S N O W D E N A R C H I T E C T S & E N G I N E E R S
Head Office 18 Market Place Bideford Devon EX39 2DR Tel: 01237 474952 Fax: 01237 425669 [email protected]
Exeter Office Exeter Bank Chambers 67 High Street, Exeter Devon EX4 3DT Tel: 01392 279220 Fax: 01392 279036 [email protected]
The Trelowarren Estate Trelowarren is an ancient privately owned estate at the heart of the Lizard, Cornwall’s most southerly peninsular, within an area of outstanding national beauty. The estate was mentioned in the Domesday Book and the Vyvyan family has been resident at Trelowarren for over six centuries. The estate consists of approximately 1,000 acres. The main house, or manor, is a grade one listed building and is set in grade one listed gardens, which are open to the public. The facilities on the estate that are open to the public, include: The Cornish Arts exhibition and shop, a Lizard Peninsula visitors centre, pottery and a restaurant.
General Aims of Project Creation of exemplar ecologically driven timeshare and leisure facilities Creation of a sensitively designed development to point the way forward for environmental sensitive tourism for the next millennium To maintain the continuation of the estate for the next generation by the provision of a stable income To create employment for the area – bringing the workforce on the estate back to that of 100 years ago
Accommodation The accommodation has been carried out over a number of phases Phase 1 – Conversion of the following redundant estate building Great Office – into 4 units (1x 2 bed and 3 x 3 bed) Creation of private garden spaces for each unit Creation of a courtyard between the outbuildings and stone/brick/cob walls Phase 2 – Lower Orchard, Lower Barn, Swimming Pool and associated leisure buildings within an historical walled garden 6 timeshare houses – 2, 3 and 4 bedroom two storey houses Swimming pool Reception/office Changing and WC facilities Double tennis courts in a separate semi-courtyard Car parking for 10 cars Wood chip boiler and store house to supply the district heating for the entire site Phase 3 – Upper Barns 2 timeshare houses – 3 bedroom two storey houses Phase 4 – Upper Orchard 6 timeshare houses – 3 bedroom two storey houses Future phases – to include a further 17 two storey timeshare units within the north, south, east and west wings of the courtyard. There are also plans to develop the leisure buildings further to include a fitness suite and other associated leisure facilities.
The Architecture The whole development has been designed to be consistent with the environmental policy that the client has developed for the rest of the estate. With this in mind, the houses, the renovated buildings, the swimming pool
and leisure facilities have all been designed to the highest environmental standards and are also sympathetic to the historical setting and serve to enhance the feeling of continuity on the estate.
Sustainable Design The following sustainable design principles have been incorporated in the whole project: One of the key environmental design principles that have led the design of all phases of the development at Trelowarren is to minimise the embodied energy of the buildings. This principle informs the construction method of the buildings as well as specific materials and components used. The design and specification of the buildings has minimised the use of high embodied energy materials including aluminium and lead and other heavy metals, petro-chemical bases paints and stains, concrete/cement and plastics. Site work and Construction The contractors of both phases were issued with ‘green employers requirements’ as part of the contract documents, which detailed the environmental ethos of the project from the outset and makes a contractual obligation to ensure all construction processes are undertaken in a low environmental impact manner, such as: Careful waste management on site Recycling on site Non toxic materials to be used in the building or during construction (e.g. cleaning) The units have been designed so the buildings have little or no thermal bridging in their construction. The twin frame provides both an energy efficient and a healthy building envelope solution. The timber frame elements were manufactured off-site to achieve speedy construction on-site to maximise quality and accuracy. A patented Twin Frame® panel system, developed by Gale & Snowden Architects was used for the wall and roof construction of the new house units (for more information regarding this innovative prefabricated system, please contact Gale & Snowden Architects). This consists of simple ordinary available natural materials and involves two timber studs or rafters held apart by small slender timber elements in order to avoid thermal bridging with moisture permeable sheathing and cellulose insulation. The resulting panel has been calculated to be moisture permeable with the internal sheathing being five times more resistant to moisture vapour then the external sheathing. This enables the panel unit to control the rate of moisture migration through the structure, avoiding interstitial condensation, but at the same time allowing moisture to leave the building in an airtight and controlled fashion. The panels have male and female connections/joints, which when connected on site, provide an air seal at the panel junctions, sole plate and head plate. Materials All materials have been chosen which are low in embodied energy, sustainably sourced, local wherever possible and non-toxic, including: Low embodied energy materials Timber frame construction for walls and roof Natural materials – natural roof slate, green oak cladding, marmoleum to wet areas, timber floor boards, clay quarry times for ground floor Facing stone from a local quarry Use of stone from the estate – to form garden walls Recycled newspaper insulation (Cellulose fibre)
Organic paints, waxes and stains throughout All timber has been sustainably sourced, e.g. FSC oak cladding (New Forest, UK) birch faced ply. Avoiding the use of PVC by careful product selection (e.g. LSF electrical cabling, clay underground pipe-work, ABS water pipes, timber fascias, soffits and barge boards, timber windows and doors Electrical wiring in the bedrooms is radial to reduce low level electromagnetic fields (EMF’s) Wood chip boiler centralised heating system – using wood coppiced from the estate Materials have also been designed into the scheme, so that they can be efficiently used to reduce waste, e.g. modular design so that whole sheets can be used without cutting. Energy Efficiency The buildings are superinsulated with 300mm recycled newspaper insulation in the walls and 350mm in the roofs and high performance double glazed timber windows and doors have been used to similarly minimise heat loss. Thermal mass is incorporated within the construction of the timber frame. It is incorporated in the solid floor construction of the ground floor. Thermal mass, in conjunction with passive ventilation design, moderates the internal temperature of the building and prevents the building overheating in the summer. Energy efficiency concerns have also been addressed by careful detailing which ensures that there are no thermal bridges and that the building is airtight. U Values Floor Windows/Doors Walls Roof
0.10 W/m2K (200mm EPS insulation) 1.20 W/m2K (double glazed, low-E, argon filled) 0.13 W/m2K (300mm cellulose insulation) 0.13 W/m2K (350mm cellulose insulation)
When designing low energy buildings, it is important to insulate the buildings well. The buildings at Trelowarren surpassed the building regulation requirements by a considerable margin. Similarly, it is vital to ensure that buildings are airtight so that heat does not escape. The buildings achieved air permeability of 3m3/hour/m2 total surface area at 50PA when tested to CIBSE Standard TM23 testing of buildings (fan pressurisation test) for air leakage. This compares to building regulation requirements of 10m3/hour/ m2 . Space Heating and Hot Water Trelowarren is the first place in the southwest to use this type of seven tonne Binder boiler. The boiler can generate 350kW of heat and has two 100kW attenuation (reserve) tanks, giving a total peak demand output of 550kW. The wood for the boiler is coppiced from woodland on the estate, guaranteeing the quality of the fuel source and enabling it to be a self renewing energy source, providing carbon neutral heating and hot water. There will be no energy wasted as the boiler supplies the whole estate – including the swimming pools. The small amount of ash residue – about 0.5% - also has a value, as a natural fertiliser which can be used on the estate.
The timeshare accommodation has been designed not to require space heating, except for during spells of extremely cold weather. However, for periods when heating is required, this is provided by underfloor heating to the ground floor accommodation and radiators on the first floor. Natural Light All the accommodation has been designed to maximise natural daylight, to give the units a light airy feel whilst being primary day lit, by adequate window areas with splayed reveals and rooflights. Light coloured finishes on walls, ceilings and floors further help to reflect light into the units. Artificial Lighting The units have been designed and fitted with light fittings that will only take low energy high frequency bulbs (standard tungsten bulbs cannot be used). Water Efficiency The estate draws its water from is its own water source on the estate, however, to reduce the amount of water used, low water appliances, such as 2/4 litre dual flush WCs, pressure reduction valves and low water showers and taps have been used in all units. Passive Stack Ventilation This has been used on all units for the energy efficient ventilation of kitchens and bathrooms. There is no requirement for electricity run mechanical ventilation. Humidity controlled extracts and trickle vents have been installed to provide an intelligent passive stack response to moisture. Healthy Buildings and Healthy Environment Careful selection of building materials, components and design principles ensures a ‘healthy environment. The following criteria were employed, where practical Specification of hard floor surfaces throughout, such as, tiles, marmoleum and timber prevent dustmites, which can live in carpets and other fabrics Energy efficiency and adequate and natural ventilation Natural daylighting Organic and/or mineral paints stains and waxes throughout Minimal use of products containing Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) Avoidance of the use of PVC by careful product selection (e.g. LSF electrical cabling, ABS waste pipes, timber fascias, soffits and barge boards, timber windows, etc. Use of sustainably sourced materials Use of materials with low embodied energy Locally sourced materials Low Maintenance Low maintenance and easily cleanable materials have been specified, including green oak cladding (minimal maintenance), galvanised steel rainwater goods, marmoleum and limestone tiling to ground floors, low maintenance ventilation system (no fans or ducts to clean). An ecological cleaning manual has been provided to avoid unnecessary toxic cleaning products from being used. Accessibility for People with Disabilities All the buildings comply with the disabled access requirements of Part M of the Building Regulation documents. A public disabled toilet has been located in the changing facilities for the swimming pool.
Holidays at Trelowarren The Trelowarren Estate provides holidays on either a timeshare or individual self catering basis. Timeshares are available on a thirty year lease. Timeshares, beside financial advantages, are a viable alternative to purchasing a holiday home thereby contributing in a major way to addressing the increasing problems that second homes have on the local housing market. Trelowarren guests enjoy exceptional peaceful country holidays, history, tradition, acres of woodland and countryside to explore, heated outdoor swimming pools and a leisure centre, an all weather tennis court, craft and art galleries, a rural workshop, a mysterious Fogou to investigate and fine dining in an award winning restaurant. Individual self catering holidays are also available in the houses with full access to all the leisure pursuits the estate provides. For more information regarding holidays on at Trelowarren, please telephone 01326 222105 or visit www.trelowarren.com
Awards 2008 Times Travel Green Spaces. Winner Best Place to Stay in Britain 2008 2007 Cornwall Business Awards—Winner Best Diversification 2006 National Green Apple Awards—Gold Winner, Eco Tourism 2006 First Choice Responsible Tourism Awards—High Commended, Best for Innovation and Technology 2006 South West England Green Energy Awards—High Commended, Best Renewable Energy Scheme 2005 CoaST Ambassador for Sustainable Tourism 2004 Business in the Community Awards—achieved ‘the big tick’ for Restoration of the Great Office 2004 Cornwall Tourism Awards—Finalist, Self Catering Establishment of the Year 2003 Green Apple Awards—National Champion 2003 Cornwall Tourism Awards—Green Tourism Initiative of the Year
Partners Included in the Scheme All phases Sir Ferrers Vyvyan Gale & Snowden Architects PWH Associates County Heating
Client Architects Quantity Surveyor M&E Contractor
Phase 1 Terry Kennedy Lark Construction
Structural Engineer Contractor
Phase 2 King Shaw Associates Energistics Engineering H2OK Mowlen (now Carillion) Wood Energy Ltd
Structural Engineer M&E Design Drainage engineering design Contractor High efficiency, wood boiler supplier
Gale & Snowden Ar chite cts Li mited
R e g i s t e r e d O f f i c e: 1 8 M a r k e t P l a c e B i d e f o r d D e v o n E X 3 9 2 D R D i r e c t o r s: D G a l e L Mill yard I Snowden
I n c o r p o r a t e d I n E n g l a n d & W a l e s no: 5 6 3 2 3 5 6
G A L E & S N O W D E N A R C H I T E C T S & E N G I N E E R S
Head Office 18 Market Place Bideford Devon EX39 2DR Tel: 01237 474952 Fax: 01237 425669 [email protected]
Exeter Office Exeter Bank Chambers 67 High Street, Exeter Devon EX4 3DT Tel: 01392 279220 Fax: 01392 279036 [email protected]
The Trelowarren Estate Trelowarren is an ancient privately owned estate at the heart of the Lizard, Cornwall’s most southerly peninsular, within an area of outstanding national beauty. The estate was mentioned in the Domesday Book and the Vyvyan family has been resident at Trelowarren for over six centuries. The estate consists of approximately 1,000 acres. The main house, or manor, is a grade one listed building and is set in grade one listed gardens, which are open to the public. The facilities on the estate that are open to the public, include: The Cornish Arts exhibition and shop, a Lizard Peninsula visitors centre, pottery and a restaurant.
General Aims of Project Creation of exemplar ecologically driven timeshare and leisure facilities Creation of a sensitively designed development to point the way forward for environmental sensitive tourism for the next millennium To maintain the continuation of the estate for the next generation by the provision of a stable income To create employment for the area – bringing the workforce on the estate back to that of 100 years ago
Accommodation The accommodation has been carried out over a number of phases Phase 1 – Conversion of the following redundant estate building Great Office – into 4 units (1x 2 bed and 3 x 3 bed) Creation of private garden spaces for each unit Creation of a courtyard between the outbuildings and stone/brick/cob walls Phase 2 – Lower Orchard, Lower Barn, Swimming Pool and associated leisure buildings within an historical walled garden 6 timeshare houses – 2, 3 and 4 bedroom two storey houses Swimming pool Reception/office Changing and WC facilities Double tennis courts in a separate semi-courtyard Car parking for 10 cars Wood chip boiler and store house to supply the district heating for the entire site Phase 3 – Upper Barns 2 timeshare houses – 3 bedroom two storey houses Phase 4 – Upper Orchard 6 timeshare houses – 3 bedroom two storey houses Future phases – to include a further 17 two storey timeshare units within the north, south, east and west wings of the courtyard. There are also plans to develop the leisure buildings further to include a fitness suite and other associated leisure facilities.
The Architecture The whole development has been designed to be consistent with the environmental policy that the client has developed for the rest of the estate. With this in mind, the houses, the renovated buildings, the swimming pool
and leisure facilities have all been designed to the highest environmental standards and are also sympathetic to the historical setting and serve to enhance the feeling of continuity on the estate.
Sustainable Design The following sustainable design principles have been incorporated in the whole project: One of the key environmental design principles that have led the design of all phases of the development at Trelowarren is to minimise the embodied energy of the buildings. This principle informs the construction method of the buildings as well as specific materials and components used. The design and specification of the buildings has minimised the use of high embodied energy materials including aluminium and lead and other heavy metals, petro-chemical bases paints and stains, concrete/cement and plastics. Site work and Construction The contractors of both phases were issued with ‘green employers requirements’ as part of the contract documents, which detailed the environmental ethos of the project from the outset and makes a contractual obligation to ensure all construction processes are undertaken in a low environmental impact manner, such as: Careful waste management on site Recycling on site Non toxic materials to be used in the building or during construction (e.g. cleaning) The units have been designed so the buildings have little or no thermal bridging in their construction. The twin frame provides both an energy efficient and a healthy building envelope solution. The timber frame elements were manufactured off-site to achieve speedy construction on-site to maximise quality and accuracy. A patented Twin Frame® panel system, developed by Gale & Snowden Architects was used for the wall and roof construction of the new house units (for more information regarding this innovative prefabricated system, please contact Gale & Snowden Architects). This consists of simple ordinary available natural materials and involves two timber studs or rafters held apart by small slender timber elements in order to avoid thermal bridging with moisture permeable sheathing and cellulose insulation. The resulting panel has been calculated to be moisture permeable with the internal sheathing being five times more resistant to moisture vapour then the external sheathing. This enables the panel unit to control the rate of moisture migration through the structure, avoiding interstitial condensation, but at the same time allowing moisture to leave the building in an airtight and controlled fashion. The panels have male and female connections/joints, which when connected on site, provide an air seal at the panel junctions, sole plate and head plate. Materials All materials have been chosen which are low in embodied energy, sustainably sourced, local wherever possible and non-toxic, including: Low embodied energy materials Timber frame construction for walls and roof Natural materials – natural roof slate, green oak cladding, marmoleum to wet areas, timber floor boards, clay quarry times for ground floor Facing stone from a local quarry Use of stone from the estate – to form garden walls Recycled newspaper insulation (Cellulose fibre)
Organic paints, waxes and stains throughout All timber has been sustainably sourced, e.g. FSC oak cladding (New Forest, UK) birch faced ply. Avoiding the use of PVC by careful product selection (e.g. LSF electrical cabling, clay underground pipe-work, ABS water pipes, timber fascias, soffits and barge boards, timber windows and doors Electrical wiring in the bedrooms is radial to reduce low level electromagnetic fields (EMF’s) Wood chip boiler centralised heating system – using wood coppiced from the estate Materials have also been designed into the scheme, so that they can be efficiently used to reduce waste, e.g. modular design so that whole sheets can be used without cutting. Energy Efficiency The buildings are superinsulated with 300mm recycled newspaper insulation in the walls and 350mm in the roofs and high performance double glazed timber windows and doors have been used to similarly minimise heat loss. Thermal mass is incorporated within the construction of the timber frame. It is incorporated in the solid floor construction of the ground floor. Thermal mass, in conjunction with passive ventilation design, moderates the internal temperature of the building and prevents the building overheating in the summer. Energy efficiency concerns have also been addressed by careful detailing which ensures that there are no thermal bridges and that the building is airtight. U Values Floor Windows/Doors Walls Roof
0.10 W/m2K (200mm EPS insulation) 1.20 W/m2K (double glazed, low-E, argon filled) 0.13 W/m2K (300mm cellulose insulation) 0.13 W/m2K (350mm cellulose insulation)
When designing low energy buildings, it is important to insulate the buildings well. The buildings at Trelowarren surpassed the building regulation requirements by a considerable margin. Similarly, it is vital to ensure that buildings are airtight so that heat does not escape. The buildings achieved air permeability of 3m3/hour/m2 total surface area at 50PA when tested to CIBSE Standard TM23 testing of buildings (fan pressurisation test) for air leakage. This compares to building regulation requirements of 10m3/hour/ m2 . Space Heating and Hot Water Trelowarren is the first place in the southwest to use this type of seven tonne Binder boiler. The boiler can generate 350kW of heat and has two 100kW attenuation (reserve) tanks, giving a total peak demand output of 550kW. The wood for the boiler is coppiced from woodland on the estate, guaranteeing the quality of the fuel source and enabling it to be a self renewing energy source, providing carbon neutral heating and hot water. There will be no energy wasted as the boiler supplies the whole estate – including the swimming pools. The small amount of ash residue – about 0.5% - also has a value, as a natural fertiliser which can be used on the estate.
The timeshare accommodation has been designed not to require space heating, except for during spells of extremely cold weather. However, for periods when heating is required, this is provided by underfloor heating to the ground floor accommodation and radiators on the first floor. Natural Light All the accommodation has been designed to maximise natural daylight, to give the units a light airy feel whilst being primary day lit, by adequate window areas with splayed reveals and rooflights. Light coloured finishes on walls, ceilings and floors further help to reflect light into the units. Artificial Lighting The units have been designed and fitted with light fittings that will only take low energy high frequency bulbs (standard tungsten bulbs cannot be used). Water Efficiency The estate draws its water from is its own water source on the estate, however, to reduce the amount of water used, low water appliances, such as 2/4 litre dual flush WCs, pressure reduction valves and low water showers and taps have been used in all units. Passive Stack Ventilation This has been used on all units for the energy efficient ventilation of kitchens and bathrooms. There is no requirement for electricity run mechanical ventilation. Humidity controlled extracts and trickle vents have been installed to provide an intelligent passive stack response to moisture. Healthy Buildings and Healthy Environment Careful selection of building materials, components and design principles ensures a ‘healthy environment. The following criteria were employed, where practical Specification of hard floor surfaces throughout, such as, tiles, marmoleum and timber prevent dustmites, which can live in carpets and other fabrics Energy efficiency and adequate and natural ventilation Natural daylighting Organic and/or mineral paints stains and waxes throughout Minimal use of products containing Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) Avoidance of the use of PVC by careful product selection (e.g. LSF electrical cabling, ABS waste pipes, timber fascias, soffits and barge boards, timber windows, etc. Use of sustainably sourced materials Use of materials with low embodied energy Locally sourced materials Low Maintenance Low maintenance and easily cleanable materials have been specified, including green oak cladding (minimal maintenance), galvanised steel rainwater goods, marmoleum and limestone tiling to ground floors, low maintenance ventilation system (no fans or ducts to clean). An ecological cleaning manual has been provided to avoid unnecessary toxic cleaning products from being used. Accessibility for People with Disabilities All the buildings comply with the disabled access requirements of Part M of the Building Regulation documents. A public disabled toilet has been located in the changing facilities for the swimming pool.
Holidays at Trelowarren The Trelowarren Estate provides holidays on either a timeshare or individual self catering basis. Timeshares are available on a thirty year lease. Timeshares, beside financial advantages, are a viable alternative to purchasing a holiday home thereby contributing in a major way to addressing the increasing problems that second homes have on the local housing market. Trelowarren guests enjoy exceptional peaceful country holidays, history, tradition, acres of woodland and countryside to explore, heated outdoor swimming pools and a leisure centre, an all weather tennis court, craft and art galleries, a rural workshop, a mysterious Fogou to investigate and fine dining in an award winning restaurant. Individual self catering holidays are also available in the houses with full access to all the leisure pursuits the estate provides. For more information regarding holidays on at Trelowarren, please telephone 01326 222105 or visit www.trelowarren.com
Awards 2008 Times Travel Green Spaces. Winner Best Place to Stay in Britain 2008 2007 Cornwall Business Awards—Winner Best Diversification 2006 National Green Apple Awards—Gold Winner, Eco Tourism 2006 First Choice Responsible Tourism Awards—High Commended, Best for Innovation and Technology 2006 South West England Green Energy Awards—High Commended, Best Renewable Energy Scheme 2005 CoaST Ambassador for Sustainable Tourism 2004 Business in the Community Awards—achieved ‘the big tick’ for Restoration of the Great Office 2004 Cornwall Tourism Awards—Finalist, Self Catering Establishment of the Year 2003 Green Apple Awards—National Champion 2003 Cornwall Tourism Awards—Green Tourism Initiative of the Year
Partners Included in the Scheme All phases Sir Ferrers Vyvyan Gale & Snowden Architects PWH Associates County Heating
Client Architects Quantity Surveyor M&E Contractor
Phase 1 Terry Kennedy Lark Construction
Structural Engineer Contractor
Phase 2 King Shaw Associates Energistics Engineering H2OK Mowlen (now Carillion) Wood Energy Ltd
Structural Engineer M&E Design Drainage engineering design Contractor High efficiency, wood boiler supplier
Gale & Snowden Ar chite cts Li mited
R e g i s t e r e d O f f i c e: 1 8 M a r k e t P l a c e B i d e f o r d D e v o n E X 3 9 2 D R D i r e c t o r s: D G a l e L Mill yard I Snowden
I n c o r p o r a t e d I n E n g l a n d & W a l e s no: 5 6 3 2 3 5 6
