MOD Abbey Wood campus
Architect Percy Thomas Partnership (PTP)
Engineer Hoare Lea
Client Ministry of Defence, Defence Procurement Agency
The Defence Procurement Agency is
responsible for purchasing equipment for the
armed services, and was originally housed in
sites widely dispersed throughout the
country. In 1992 the MOD took possession of
a 98-acre site near Bristol, with the aim of
creating a totally self-sustaining office campus
to house 5500 staff together with all the
ancillary accommodation, to include car
parking, technical library, storage,
simultaneous interpretation, lecture and
conference facilities, sports, training, catering
and a 100 place cre'che, resulting in a complex
of 1.3 million sq.ft., one of the largest office
developments in Europe.
The scheme design resulted from a
cooperative effort between all the design
disciplines, in which the following key
elements were identified,
Occupant performance
Daylighting
Views
Ventilation
VDT use throughout
Energy consumption
Life cycle costs
Although this list is not said to be in any
order of priority, it is clear that the role to be
played by daylighting, tied in as it is with
energy, views, ventilation and occupant
satisfaction was considered to be of first
importance. With some 20,000 m^2 of office
glazing it was necessary to ensure that the
elemental window design was both energy
efficient and cost effective, whilst satisfying
the needs of the occupants.
The type of glazing to be used was
thoroughly investigated, with ten systems
modelled in full annual weather conditions.
The final choice rested on a system of triple
glazing, with opening lights for ventilation,
providing an approximate percentage glazing
of 40 per cent of the external wall area. Solar
control is by internal blinds incorporated in
the triple glazing. The use of externalbrise
soleilwas outweighed by their capital,
maintenance and replacement costs. It was
shown that ‘interplane’ blinds were more
desirable in achieving enhanced performance
and a reduction in cleaning.
The type of glass used was ‘clear,’ designed
to enhance the importance of the view out;
which also reduced the contrast between
open and closed windows; and whilst some of
the high tech glasses, such as specialist coated
or tinted glass, were investigated, it was felt
that their long term viability had not been
sufficiently established.
The section through a typical four-storey
office block with its central street shows that
no-one is more than 6.5 m away from a
94 Daylighting: Natural Light in Architecture
Masterplan of the complexPercy Thomas Partnership