Case Study Three

Project: York Eco Depot

When the City of York Council sold the depot which housed their refuse collection lorries, road maintenance signage and gritting facilities to a major supermarket chain, they needed to locate a new site.

The authority took this opportunity to practice what they preached to their taxpayers by adopting an eco-friendly approach to the new development. The site chosen for the project was a former waste tip, which thus avoided the use of a greenfield site. The brief for the complex, and in particular the office building, was that it was to be as eco-friendly and economical as possible.

HBPW carried out considerable research and concluded that although the site had been a former refuse tip it would be possible, by careful design of the foundations, to eliminate the use of piling. This work ensured that the cost, both environmentally and financially, of piling, was eliminated, and the possibility of contamination from the waste tip being punched down into lower strata was also prevented.

The office block was constructed with a glue laminated timber frame incorporating rendered straw bales. The facility is now the largest two storey office block in Europe constructed from straw bales.

The eco depot adopted many other eco features such as wind turbines, rainwater harvesting, solar cells and movement detecting lighting. The development has been nominated for and received many awards including the Institution of Civil Engineers (Yorkshire & Humberside) \'Highly Commended Award\', a bronze award in the Considerate Constructors 2007 National Awards and a Gold Green Apple Award in the Built Environment and Architectural Heritage category.

Client: City of York Council
Contractor: Carillion Plc
Architect: White Design