Bath Building, Library, One-Stop-Shop, Town Centre Regeneration Proposals
Keynsham Town Centre : Bath & Northeast Somerset
Keynsham Buildings, Somerset, England, UK – design by Aedas, Architects
10 Apr 2012
Keynsham Town Centre Regeneration
Aedas has submitted a planning application for a major £34M regeneration of Keynsham town centre for Bath & Northeast Somerset Council
One-Stop-Shop
The application contains proposals for 20,000 square feet of new modern retail and restaurant space, a new civic building with One Stop Shop and new library, meeting and performance space for community use, new low carbon Council office space, and new streets and spaces for markets and events, amongst other aspects.
The regeneration of the town centre will help attract private sector investment in the town and help create new opportunities, jobs, and greater prosperity for residents.
image from architects
Councillor David Bellotti (Lib-Dem, Lyncombe), Cabinet Member for Community Resources, said, “This is a truly dynamic and exciting scheme that will completely transform the town. Bath & Northeast Somerset Council has been listening to local people about what they want to see and many comments are now reflected in the final planning application. Subject to planning permission, the Council is looking forwards toward delivering this project successfully and improving the heart of the Keynsham community.”
The Design
The Civic Centre and retail podium will be built in local Blue Lias stone and the offices above will be clad in standing seam brass cladding to reflect the towns past as a historic centre of the Brass industry. An important Roman mosaic will also be exhibited below a glass floor within the Civic Centre.
The separation of the Library and One-Stop-Shop as a separate building creates a new civic landmark within the town, encourages links with the existing High Street and creates a new public space which can be used for a variety of events such as markets and exhibitions.
The regeneration is part of the Council’s plans to reduce their carbon footprint by up to 70 per cent and through close collaboration with Aedas R&D and Building Services Engineers Max Fordham both the Offices and Civic Centre have the target of achieving a Display Energy Certificate A rating by the end of the 2nd year of operation. DEC A rating is a very high target and has only been achieved by 13 out of 3,230 offices certified (as of February 2010).
The orientation of the offices with narrow floor plates and south facing monopitch roofs achieves a fully naturally ventilated building and a cross laminated timber frame makes a significant reduction to embodied carbon. The building will feature an innovative timber-concrete composite floor where a 75mm layer of concrete provides thermal mass but for the minimum weight. Cooling pipework cast into the concrete future proofs the building to accommodate changes of use or future climate patterns.
image from architects
Karle Burford, Director of Aedas’ Bristol Office stated “this project represents significant investment within Keynsham and we have worked closely with local residents and stakeholders over the past 12 months to create an exciting new development within the town centre. The building will provide a benchmark for sustainable town centre regeneration and will help encourage wider private sector investment in the town” A crucial part of the brief has been to design a low energy design with an aspiration of zero carbon. When complete, the regeneration scheme will be the practice’s first project to target an ‘A- rated Display Energy Certificate’ from the outset.
Working with Aedas R&D, the project team followed a ‘soft start’ in terms of surveying the Council’s current premises with regard to appliance use and occupancy habits as well as leading on occupant engagement. This will help employees engage with the low carbon design early on and ensure good facilities management.
Aedas R&D has contributed in the UKGBC task group’s work on Display Energy Certificates. Judit Kimpian, Head of Aedas’ Sustainability team noted “with the government’s announcement of the wider roll-out of the Display Energy Certificates we anticipate a major change in the way in which the construction industry approaches energy consumption. Feedback from our post occupancy evaluations tells us that we need to design with building users in mind to achieve outstanding operational performance. The Aedas-led RIBA|CIBSE research project CarbonBuzz has given us the opportunity to transform our design approach to target operational energy use.”
The Keynsham regeneration scheme has been submitted for planning approval with construction expected to start in summer 2012.
Keynsham Town Centre image / information from Aedas
Aedas Architects
Location: Keynsham, near Bath, Somerset, England, UK
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