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« Adnams Brewery Distribution Centre, Southwold, Suffolk »
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The Adnams Brewery Distribution Centre near Southwold is arguably the largest environmentally sustainable warehouse in the UK. With its curved green roof of 6,000 square-metres and the extensive use of materials and technologies selected to minimize the environmental impact of the building, the centre has attracted huge attention across the industry.
The brewery says “the centre is the first commercial building in the UK to be constructed is such an environmentally-friendly way”
The vapour permeable blocks made from lime and locally grown hemp mean that 30% of the wall is locked in carbon dioxide and helps regulate temperature inside more efficiently without the need for additional heating or cooling.
The building has been sited low in the site of an old gravel pit so that the sedum roof effectively acts as camouflage, allowing the building to merge into the natural surroundings of the countryside.
The roofs of the warehouse facility and neighboring vehicle workshop are covered almost entirely in sedum blanket, a hardy drought resistant fleshy plant selected for it's robust but low profile growing characteristics and which develops with its surrounding environment.
The sedum is deep red during the dry season and transforms to green during the cooler periods of the year. Rainwater stored in the sedum layers is harvested and then used for flushing staff toilets and washing the firm's lorries.
As well as providing obvious aesthetic advantages, the green roof also acts to reduce run-off water impacting on the local drainage systems, enhances the thermal and acoustic performance of the roof and helps reduce the carbon footprint of the building by removing carbon dioxide from the air.
The roof is also adorned with solar panels which will heat 80% of the hot water on the site and the brewer says that the building as a whole will cut energy bills by half. At 2006 energy costs Adnams will save approx £49,000 per year in energy bills. A waste water system passes dirty water through a septic tank and through reed beds before being returned to nearby ponds.
The Ashzip 300 Aluminium standing seam system was selected on this scheme due to its inherent structural performance benefits, speed and ease of installation and the minimal use of accessories and ancillary components.
The Ashzip 300 sheets were rolled on site, at eaves level, eliminating the need for scaffolding and minimising road transportation costs thereby minimising any unnecessary CO2 emissions.
S&G Industrial Roofing installed the Ashzip system as well as the gutters, perimeter bullnoses, flashings and soffits, all supplied by Ash & Lacy.