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The Shard London Bridge: - Environmentally friendly tall building

Within the midst of an economic downturn, unemployment at its highest since 1990 levels and the construction sector being one of the worst hit, the prospective emergence of an iconic building in central London is all the harder to believe. Renzo Piano’s Shard is unashamedly futuristic and unsympathetic, whilst at the same time, represents an iconic landmark of modern London, with parallels to both the Gherkin and London Eye. 

Quick Fact summary
Architect: Renzo Piano
Budget: £416 million
Height: 306m (Britain’s new tallest building)
72 Storeys
Use: Mixed use, office/ Hotel
Built using a top down approach

 

The Shard and London Bridge boasts a number of environmental credentials, not least a high performance external envelope, and as Renzo Piano boasts, “... it will use around 30 % less energy than other comparable buildings”. (Shard Londonbridge.com)

The glass itself is triple glazed, low iron laminated, which has a colourless low emissivity coating added to reduce infra red radiation. Solar control comes primarily from computer controlled roller blinds, which are woven in glass fibre integrated within the glass facade and protected by single glazing, reducing solar radiation by 95% which shields occupants from the sun and reduces the need for air conditioning, thus avoiding excessive overheating.

Excessive heat build up is further reduced through a process of night cooling, whereby the integral blinds automatically disappear, to permit maximum heat loss, thus removing unwanted excess heat.

This passive sun shading system allowed the building to exceed the 2006 Part L by 25%, in addition to achieving a BREEAM excellent rating.

Winter gardens are interspersed throughout, two or three per floor, which are located at the ‘fractures’ between the eight sloped shards which make up the building. These combine to provide a welcome break from the homogonous steel, concrete office areas, whilst allow fresh ventilation into the space, through operable windows. These are in effect green roofs, and as such show similar characteristics, through the abundance of natural vegetation, albeit in an enclosed greenhouse environment.

Energy is provided by an inbuilt micro CHP unit, which is capable of providing 1500Kwe, which aids to supplement and meet the majority of the Shard’s energy demands. (Combined Heat and Power (CHP) is a low carbon power, and utilises the waste heat for heating and hot water). The Shard demonstrates the commercial viability of CHP as a potential future energy source, encouraging decentralisation.

Environmental consideration has been integral during the Shards development, not least its diminishing shape, with a reduced area at high level, combined with riverside location, contribute to minimising the influential shadow over neighbouring buildings. 

Being located in a central London location, has inhibited both the design and construction process, as the Shard lies atop London Bridge Underground Station, with the tunnels of the Jubilee line running close by and Guy’s Hospital next door. Due to its central location, and immediately adjacent transport links, there is no extensive underground car park, with space for just 47 bays, provision predominantly for disabled users; as a result, traffic and congestion should remain otherwise unaffected.

It is customary that any modern age project needs to comply with the increasingly stringent environmental regulations, namely Part L, and as such the Shard is no exception. Pending the success of the project, as it is still under construction, it is anticipated, this will set precedent, and a benchmark for future tall buildings to provide buildings that are environmentally conscious, spatially efficient and commercially viable

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