Voted ‘Britain’s ugliest new constructing‘ by readers of Constructing Design journal and swiftly securing the 2010 Carbuncle Cup, the 43-storey Strata tower in south London presents a particular define with its three ‘eco pleasant’ generators fitted to the roofline.
Designed by BFLS (previously Hamiltons), the £113 million tower homes 408 flats, of which simply 98 are categorized as “reasonably priced housing.”
An area marketing campaign web site revealed how the builders had spun their approach out of offering the agreed social/reasonably priced housing provision:
The Strata was constructed with the assistance of shared-ownership Grant Funding from the GLA (25% of the flats are shared possession).
The developer argued (with the assistance of a viability evaluation) that the scheme couldn’t afford to offer the requisite 35% minimal reasonably priced housing or any social rented housing, regardless of coverage requiring that the 35% is break up equally between intermediate and social rented.
As a substitute the developer made a £1.3m cost in-lieu of the shortfall and any social rented provision.
[Strata Tower seen from Brixton]
When the tower was proposed, the builders claimed that the three generators would generate 8% of the tower’s electrical energy wants, however seeing because the issues have barely moved in years, that determine is extra like 0%.
Plainly the luxury people dwelling within the higher ground penthouses objected to the noise and vibration of the spinning blades, prompting challenge director Ian Bogle to counsel that they need to be turned off between 11pm and 7am every evening (Londonist, March 2010).
Since then, we’ve by no means seen the generators transfer, though there have been experiences of them sporadically spinning up in 2021.
Ellis Woodman, the Day by day Telegraph’s structure critic, was unimpressed with the entire idea, even when the generators did work:
A skyscraper is an energy-greedy constructing kind, each by way of development, and the ability wanted to take folks to their entrance doorways in a carry.
To prime one off with some wind generators is the worst form of greenwashing.
A few of the new residents weren’t too impressed both, voicing considerations concerning the tower over-heating:
However the generators have barely moved, based on its new residents. Additionally they declare the one boiler down the facet of the constructing is overheating their flats.
Resident Nathan Wheelhouse stated: “Once I left my home the opposite morning it was 28C at 7.30am — it’s tropical in there.
The hot and cold water pipes circulate subsequent to one another. I really feel like I’m in an eco experiment that has gone flawed on the design stage. I solely moved in two weeks in the past and I’m not having fun with it.”
Above is a March 2010 view of the tower below development, as seen from Brixton. See extra pictures: London Razor skyscraper packs wind generators, Bladerunner-style.
Beneath, you possibly can benefit from the fact-skimming promo video from the the builders of the Strata Tower:
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Colossal construction at Elephant – Strata Tower (130 responses)
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