Stansfeld Park: Our green credentials
June 20, 2018
It’s time to celebrate Oxford Green Week so we thought we’d tell you all about the green credentials of our new development at Stansfeld Park in Headington, which is being built with sustainability very much in mind.
Firstly, we have looked at how best to maximise beneficial solar gain and protect against unwanted solar gain. The two-storey innovation centre is orientated east-west with office space facing north and due south. At the first-floor level on the southern elevation, we are installing an overhanging roof section to provide solar shading and prevent overheating.
At the Science Oxford Centre, the sun has also influenced design: the teaching spaces located on the eastern elevation have large windows to maximise the connection with the ponds and adjacent woodland but also to utilise natural daylight. In addition, a canopy around the centre will provide solar shading during the summer months.
As well as maximising how we use sunlight within the new development, we are also maximising how we use it outside. We will be putting in a large 30kW array of photovoltaic panels on the south-facing roof of the innovation centre with an annual output of approximately 29,000kW hours.
The building will also have air source heat pumps, which absorb heat from the outside air and will use it for underfloor heating.
Wherever possible, building materials are sourced locally to avoid the environmental impacts of transportation. Thermal insulation will be from recycled or naturally-occurring materials. Much of the building is wood clad and all timber and wood-derived products will be specifically-sourced in accordance with the Forest Stewardship Council. In fact, Stansfeld will be the biggest building in the UK clad in heat-treated timber. It will also look beautiful as the wood gently fades naturally in the sun. We are using British poplar for the cladding, which will be heat-treated by specialist supplier Vasten Timber, based in nearby Royal Wootten Bassett.
The roof of the Science Oxford Centre will have a stunning wildflower or sedum roof which looks beautiful and promotes biodiversity as well as acting as an extra layer of insulation. Even the bike shelter will have a natural roof!
We are encouraging users of Stansfeld Park to cycle, walk or use public transport but we will have a small car parking space with electric car charging points.
When we move in to the centre in 2019, we will have a sustainability policy for The Oxford Trust but also for those using the centre – to be more mindful of the materials we use and to try and reduce the amount of waste we create.
Our founders, Sir Martin and Lady Audrey Wood share a love of the countryside and a passion for environmental sustainability. They set up Wild Oxfordshire, the Sylva Foundation and the Earth Trust, one of the first environmental charities in Oxfordshire. We are conscious of our environmental responsibility as an organisation and the Trust wants to be part of a cleaner, greener future for our region. We hope Stansfeld Park will be a good example of our green credentials.
You can read more about the woodland at Stansfeld Park and how we are going to educate the future stewards of our planet here.
