In Taunton, daylight is a valuable resource. The town in the south-west of England does not have as few hours of sunshine as the north of the island, but it does have abundant rainfall throughout the year. Two aspects that BAM Construction and AHR Architects had to take into account in the new building for the UK Hydrographic Office. This is a nautical, maritime and hydrographic authority under the British Ministry of Defence.
The project not only included the construction of 11,000 square metres of office space, but also a generously dimensioned atrium as a communicative meeting place for the staff. Surrounded by curved wooden panelling, which symbolises the currents and waves of the sea, the employees can work together, exchange ideas or simply relax. As important criteria for the quality of stay, ventilation and lighting were therefore given high priority in the design: the daylight should positively influence the motivation of the employees and the better working atmosphere, in both senses of the word, should ultimately also increase productivity.
Regulating daylight, ventilation and noise
To create the desired bright and inviting atomsphere, BAM Construction and the architects arranged 200 Modular Skylights symmetrically on the roof of the atrium. Inside, they are complemented by wooden slats that form a kind of coffered ceiling. On the one hand, the louvres prevent glare caused by too much direct sunlight into the offices adjacent to the atrium, and on the other hand, they ensure an even level of lighting throughout the day. Because the louvres and the wooden elements installed in the atrium also absorb sound, the construction also reduces the noise level.
[More daylight, higher insulation values and an attractive design]
Thus, with the atrium centrally located between two office wings, the architects succeeded in creating a lively main space between the offices without noise spreading from there. AHR Architects also intelligently integrated ventilation into the concept. Fresh air flows into the atrium through the sides of the wings. Stale air rises towards the roof, where it can escape through some open Velux Modular Skylights. The architects deliberately chose a higher number of modules for the roof that can be opened. Their calculation: if temperatures continue to rise in the course of climate change, the ventilation capacity can be easily increased in this way. Since the opening and fixed daylight modules do not differ visually, a harmonious appearance of the atrium roof is nevertheless guaranteed.
Modularity and prefabrication speed up installation
Even before the completion of the new public authority building, the Velux Modular Skylights were able to demonstrate their specific advantages. Thanks to the modular design and delivery in a prefabricated state, the 200 modules in the 19 atrium skylight strip version could be installed by the English Velux specialist Daylight Solutions within just five days. "It's a very simple modular system that is self-explanatory and can be put together piece by piece in an efficient and straightforward way, which really helps with the installation," sums up Scott Russell, director of Daylight Solutions.
Prefabrication was also used for other elements of the atrium roof. "The concrete beams on which the Modular Skylights sit were all fabricated on site, along with the wooden louvres, structural steelwork and timber cladding that were hung from them," describes Adam Spall, Regional Director of AHR Architects. As a result, the entire atrium roof was completed in just six weeks: This shows how the use of innovative, modern construction methods such as prefabrication of building elements and modular construction can save considerable time in the realisation of new buildings; at the same time, no compromises in design and appearance have to be accepted - this is more than evident in the new headquarters of the UK Hydrographic Office.
