British Brewer Adnams Build Green
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 10. 4.06
Touted as the greenest warehouse in the UK, the new distribution centre of beer brewers, Adnams has a trick or two up it’s sleeve. The most obvious is the biggest living roof in Britain. Well over half a hectare of Sedum and local grasses it will act as an insulator and keep the internal temperature of the building constant, while providing some habitat and reducing visual pollution. Integrated with the roof is a solar hot water system, which aims to provide 80% of buildings heated water. Rainwater captured from the roof will, it is said, be used to wash company trucks. Any waste water will be fed into reed beds before finding its way to local ponds. Holding up this massive roof are some impressively massive glulam (glue laminated) plantation timber beams. Apparently these 60m monsters would been 24 times more energy intensive had they been made from steel. In a further attempt to maintain that constant internal temp of about 11°C (52°F), the walls are made of a dual row of blocks of lime and quarry waste. The cavity between is filled with hempcrete, a blend of hemp and lime. Between the innovative roof and the wall construction, Adnams trust this will negate the need for air conditioning. One report suggested the building cost 15% more than a standard tin shed warehouse, but the company expect to realise £500,000 ($935,000 USD) in energy cost saving over a 10 year period. ::Adnams, via a keg full of sources - EDP24, BBC, Limetechnology, Haymills, and EADT !
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"Visual pollution?" Give me a break. When you use terms like that it really makes the rest of the world think that you are a bunch of loonies. Can't you just say that "hey, it looks nice too" or "eliminates ugly black roof."
If you aim to stamp out "visual pollution," many of our treehugger friends won't be allowed outside during daylight hours.
I drank 5 pints of Adnams Broadside last night and felt utterly organic : it certainly has affected the quality of their product.
Well done chaps. May you get every bit of the credit you deserve.
JJ