Engineering and ingenuity - towards environmental design.

The starting point for designs which respond to our worsening environmental situation is a study of building form with particular emphasis on the facade and section and on materials. Only after these have been resolved to optimise the solar potential, to make the best use of daylight , to provide controllable assisted natural ventilation (including night cooling), to attenuate noise (if necessary) and to produce an attractive building should the design team as a whole tum to HVAC systems. To summarise, the plant is only part of the strategy and the smaller part the better. The application of this approach are illustrated by three varying case studies: the BRE Environmental Building, Garston, Watford- a new build office; the Contact Theatre - an assisted naturally ventilated theatre in urban Manchester; and Snape Maltings Concert Hall - a building in the countryside with a supply only ventilation system with borehole cooling. The scope for engineering ingenuity in furthering environmental design is significant.