Sustainability

The building has been designed to be a low energy and low carbon building. The building is predicted to use 67% less energy than the energy benchmarks set out in the Greater London Authority's guidance for planners. 10% of the energy will be derived from renewable energy sources (ground coupled air pipes).

TreeHouse’s ‘Green Features’ include:

• The roof has been planted with environmentally friendly sedum, creating a habitat for native flora and fauna; softening the visual impact of the building; and providing insulation to reduce the need for additional heating
• Rooflights on the first floor ensure maximum daylight levels. Light shafts provide daylight from the roof down to the ground floor classrooms to minimise the amount of artificial light needed
• Artificial lighting is controlled by photocells linked to dimmers to minimise the artificial lighting load
• Energy efficient boilers minimise the gas load for heating and hot water. The efficient fabric, form and air tightness of the building means that the heating load is low
• Rainwater recycling system supplies the WC flushes, reducing energy used in treating and supplying water to the building and treating surface water drained from the building
• High performance glazing minimises solar transmission in summer and heat loss in winter, while still maintaining high light transmission to retain daylight levels.
• A ground coupled air system uses the thermal mass of the ground as a heat source in winter (warming the incoming air) and as a heatsink in summer to cool the incoming air. This results in a carbon saving of 10% or 1056kg/year