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Green hub will set standards for future building in Croydon
Published: 2009-09-18 16:19:58
Croydon's new public service delivery hub will set standards as one of the most environmentally-friendly developments ever built in the borough.
Approved by Croydon Council's planning committee on September 10, the hub features a range of energy-efficiency measures.
The hub, which will be used by the council, police and health authority, will be built on the site of 1960s municipal offices in Fell Road and Mint Walk and will replace the high maintenance, and inefficient council buildings of Taberner House, Fell Road, Strand House and Rees House.
Stepped in height over three stages, the lowest part of the new building will front Mint Walk and provide the main entrance for public visitors. The entire ground floor will be dedicated to Access Croydon while the ground floor of the adjoining annex building in Mint Walk will provide new accommodation for registration services - providing easy access out to The Queen’s Gardens as a backdrop for marriage ceremonies. The highest element, 13 storeys to the south, will overlook the Croydon Flyover.
Environmentally friendly features in the hub's design include:
- a triple glazed climate wall that copes with heat gain in the summer sun and heat loss at other times;
- a gas-fired combined heat and power system combined with thermal stores and chiller units;
- photovoltaic panels covering 325 sq m of roof space;
- using rainwater stored below ground for flushing loos.
The hi-tech basement heating plant will also power the Town Hall and has potential to link into other systems to form a new district heating network.
The council is continuing a programme of relocating staff from its Fell Road premises so that the entire site can be ready for demolition in spring 2010. Construction is expected to start in the summer of 2010 with the new building being ready for use by 2013.
Said cabinet member for regeneration and economic development, councillor Steve O’Connell: "The new public services hub will make a fitting start to the next phase of regeneration in Croydon. Not only has it been designed with the needs of public users uppermost in mind, the architects have also done their very best to ensure the building is future-proof in terms of sustainability. It will set an example for the kind of environmental standards we expect from the next generation of building in the town. For residents and taxpayers this means it will be cheap to run and should meet operational needs for decades to come.
"As we move towards an increasingly unified approach to public service provision, it is important that we have an accessible base in the centre of our town where the public can feel welcome and have their needs met quickly and efficiently. Access Croydon is a key feature of the hub’s planning and we have implemented many lessons from the way in which one-stop services have been developed in recent years, both here in Croydon and in similar schemes around the country."