"Radical Retrofit & Adaptive Reuse" / Master of Architecture Design Research Unit #2
Each square, separated into blue and yellow, refers to a specific theme within human, non-human and natural systems. Bellow this image you can hover and click on the ones you want to check in more detail. The page will scroll down and take you there.
A house icon will be present in each section. By clicking on these, the page will scroll all the way up to the beginning, allowing you to select another theme to check in more detail.
To see the Ecology & Energy Flows Diagram Miro board in full, follow this link.
A.2 Solar / Light
Areas of sunlight intensity
Areas of shade
Bristol One City Climate Strategy (BOCCS)
Read about the BOCCS here.
It is evident that climate has a direct effect on the architecture of the area.
Bristol City Council has put together a preliminary assessment for climate and formulated the Bristol One City Climate Strategy (BOCCS).
According to the assessment and further studies carried out by Arup, Bristol is quite vulnerable to climate hazards and there is a susceptibility of physical, social, environmental and economic systems due to these hazards.
The assessment focused on the exposure of Bristol’s assets to climate hazards also highlighted the adaptive capacity, which is the system and organisation of people that respond to consequences. As a result, the BOCCS is there to tackle these climate challenges and defencelessness to climate change and urban heat, and therefore a heat action plan was formulated.
Communication with health professionals that were informed of this plan is also important as people need to be made aware of the climate-related health challenges.
It is important to consider the affects that climate-change has on the city as a whole and that plans such as these are articulated.
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Carbon Dioxide Emissions
Bristol Energy - 0 g/kWh
National Grid Average - 198 g/kWh
Helping Bristol to tackle social and environmental challenges such as fuel poverty and climate change – so you can go green, and give back
Bristol Energy used 100% renewable fuel mix between April 2019 to March 2020.
Bristol Energy
High Level Radioactive Waste
Bristol Energy - 0 g/kWh
National Grid Average - 0.001162 g/kWh
Solar Energy
- Investing in solar energy on council-owned buildings and schools
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- The new solar arrays cover almost the same area as 15 tennis courts and will generate nearly half a million kilowatt hours of free electricity every year - enough to meet the needs of more than 140 typical homes
- Working with Western Power Distribution to investigate the use of battery backup and storage systems
Read more here.
Wind Energy
- Planning approval was granted in 2009 to build two wind turbines in Avonmouth, with a capacity of up to 3 MW each.
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- Further projects and in development to increase the quantity of wind turbines in and around Bristol.
Read more here.
A.3 Energy
The council's energy bill is in the order of £10.7 million, and like all large users of energy, the council must pay a charge to the government for the carbon dioxide it emits, known as the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC).
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Bristol was one of the first local authorities to buy electricity generated from renewable sources, when contracts were negotiated for the Create Centre and the Records Office (B Bond) in 1998. Since then, more properties have been using 100% renewable electricity. This contributed towards the target set out in the council's Energy Policy of buying 15% of the council's electricity from renewable sources by 2010.
Read more here.
Renewable Energy Resources
Energy Waste Recovery
- Creates fuel from waste that can be used as an energy source
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- Recovering energy from waste is much better than waste going to landfill
20-20-20 Targets
20% of EU energy consumption to come from renewable resources
20% cut in primary energy use compared with projected levels, to be achieved by improving energy efficiency
A reduction in EU greenhouse gas emissions of at least 20% below 1990 levels
Biomass Heating System
- A number of biomass boilers in part resulting in Bristol now having the largest cluster of biomass boilers in the south west of which 15 are in council-operated buildings
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- Biomass boilers reduces the energy costs of the council, helping to meet the Council’s carbon dioxide reduction targets
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- Investigating the greater management of the council's own woodland. This has an added benefit for the City's wildlife as management of woodland increases biodiversity
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- Installing 10 more biomass installations in council-owned buildings over the next four years
Read more here.
Energy Efficiency
- Salix energy efficiency fund for Bristol’s non-domestic buildings: a £1.2 million fund, operated on an “invest to save” basis
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- Energy efficiency is the most cost effective “hard” measure for saving energy and reducing utility spend
Read more here.
KEY:
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Drinking Water
Eight new water fountains are to be installed across Bristol to prevent 50 miles of plastic bottle waste every year - the closest being in Queen Square, 0.6miles from Temple Church.
Read more here.
Surface Absorbency
- Church Lane Impermeable stone road surface (potential surface water pooling)
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- Temple church Gardens consists of predominantly porous Soft landscaping
Wastewater System
- Sewerage services in the Bristol area are provided by Wessex Water.
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- Bristol has both combined and separate sewer systems to convey wastewater (sewage, storm water and rainwater)
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- Under heavy storm conditions, sewer capacity can be exceeded, and built-in safety valves called storm overflows, permitted by the Environment Agency, can operate to prevent sewer flooding.
Read more here.
A.4 Water
Water Supply
Approximately half the water is taken from the Mendip Hills, with the other half piped from the River Severn via the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal.
Existing Drains
Mains surface water drainage situated around the site (note that drain gullies carry surface water away from Temple Church ruin)
KEY:
Temple Church 47 ft above sea level (Read more here.)
Temple Church is not in a high-risk flood zone (However, note its close proximity to the River Avon)
Read more here.
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A.6 Air / Pollution
Bristol Annual Air Quality Status Report
Clean air is essential for health and helps to make the city a pleasant place to live. Bristol City Council monitor air quality around the city and are working to improve it (Read more here)
The main pollutants of concern within Bristol are nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter.
Monitoring in Bristol shows that we are currently in breach of the annual objective for nitrogen dioxide and possibly the hourly objective, set at 40μg/m3 and 200μg/m3 (with a permissible 18 hours per year above the 200μg/m3 limit allowed) respectively.
Monitoring locations where 2019 annual NO2 > 370μg/m3
Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs) are declared when there is an exceedance or likely exceedance of an air quality objective.
Approximately 100,000 people live within the AQMA and it also includes the central employment, leisure and shopping districts, major hospitals and dozens of schools and therefore many more people are exposed to air pollution in their daily lives.
Monitoring
Pollutants such as sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide and some heavy metals used to be monitored in Bristol, however, this has ceased as compliance with health based air quality objectives for these pollutants has been demonstrated.
Monitoring of nitrogen dioxide continues extensively throughout the city
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Drain gullies
Roofs / walls
Gutters
Habitats and species
A.7 Biodiversity
Green corridors across Bristol
Bristol Greenground map
Created by Helen Ilus Design, the Greenground maps initiative connects parks and open spaces from cities, aiming to inspire an active use of the outdoors, waterways, walking and cycling paths between them (Read more here).
29% green space
Green spaces around Bristol
KEY:
Temple Gardens
63 trees total
14 different species
1 Lawson Cypress
1 Cherry Plum
1 Cherry
39 Common Lime's
5 Cornelian Cherry
1 English Holly
1 English Yew
3 European Crab Apple's
5 Highclere Holly's
1 Japanese Snowball
1 Kousa Dogwood
1 Laburnum
2 Cotoneaster's
1 Wild Cherry 'Plena'
CAVAT value : £1,949,380
Cracks in the pavements
Bristol parks and green space strategy
Source: Bristol City Council (2008)
Find the full document and graphics here.
Species, animals and plants
Read more about Bristol's habitat and green space in the environment and economics #DR1 section.
A.8 Climate / Microclimate
Microclimate in Temple church
A Microclimate can form from various factors of an area. Air quality, temperature, humidity, wind direction, ray exposure, or noise pollution are all microclimates that can be affected by a building's location, surroundings, its form, or it's materiality.
Materiality
Building Form/ orientation
Environment
Climate of Bristol
The climate in Bristol is oceanic, which is Köppen classified as Cfb. Compared to other regions in the UK, the climate in Bristol is a lot milder. Throughout the year, the city has enough sunshine and rainfall is generally low throughout the year too (Read more here).
Historical climate data of Bristol
- During the month of July and August you are most likely to experience good weather with pleasant average temperatures that fall between 20 degrees Celsius (68°F) and 25 degrees Celsius (77°F).
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- The months of January, October, November and December have a high chance of precipitation.
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- The warmest month is July with an average maximum temperature of 21°C (70°F).
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- The coldest month is February with an average maximum temperature of 7°C (46°F).
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- December is the most wet month. This month should be avoided if you are not a big fan of rain.
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- April is the driest month.
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- July is the most sunny month.
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B.1 Transport & Mobility
Active Travel
​- Objective: At least 40% of all journeys by active travel (20% walking and 20% cycling) by 2030
- Baseline: 2011 Census 18% walking, 8% cycling commuting journeys
Sustainable Transport Network’s 2030 Vision for a Carbon Neutral Transport System
The Sustainable Transport Network (STN) is a group of transport organisations working together from across Bristol to help create positive dialogue about transport and space in Bristol and to set out a vision for an integrated and sustainable transport network that can be shared by all. They are a thematic board supported by Bristol Green Capital Partnership.
Find the timeline of actions here.
Public Transport
- Objective: 20% of all journeys to be by public transport by 2030
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- Baseline: 2011 Census 8% commuting journeys Bristol Transport Strategy estimated 11% of commuting journeys
Car Reduction
- Objective: A maximum of 30% of all journeys by car by 2030
- Baseline: 2011 Census 50% car commuting journeys
B.3 Trades & Activity
Local crafts and industries
Fabric / Fashion
Handmade products
Glass
Beer / Microbreweries
Land and building
use around the site
Local businesses
and the economy
Also see 'building uses map' in the environment and economics #DR1 section.
Facade finishes of the surrounding buildings
The facades on site are either left showing the exposed clay bricks, or they are painted over. With Bristol being a historic city, the main colours visible on site are red, white, beige and brown.
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A.7 Biodiversity
B.4 Materials /
Physical Environment
Materials and textures on the site
There are many types of materials and structures on site, used for different purposes:
- Fired bricks and clay blocks - This is the typical material used for the residential houses in the area. It is also the most used material visible on the site whether its painted over or left exposed.
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- Concrete - used more for supporting elements of the buildings on site.
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- Pennant stone - seen in a range of colours, mostly grey cast with blue or green, but sometimes of a strong plum-red or ochre yellow colour.
Construction methods of the surrounding buildings
The construction methods used on site for the surrounding buildings goes according to The New Build Affordable Housing programme that began in 2014, with the aim of using smaller brownfield and back-land sites across the city to provide new, high quality affordable homes.
Bristol put together this to:
- Make the best use of land that they already own
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- Improve areas for local communities
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- Addressing the demand for affordable housing
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- Helping reduce anti-social behaviour on derelict sites
The potential of recovering energy from waste has grown considerably since the opening of a Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT) plant in Avonmouth in 2011. The Avonmouth facility produces a fuel from the waste which is then used to power a co-located energy facility that applies methods such as ‘gasification’ and ‘pyrolysis’ technologies.
The action plans and revised communications work that will follow this refreshed strategy will place a particular emphasis on tackling food waste. Actions focused on reducing food waste, include the work being undertaken as part of the Good Food Plan for Bristol and the priority to ‘achieve a healthier, more sustainable, more resilient food system for the city to benefit the local economy and the environment (Read more here).
Bristol currently has two Household Recycling Centres, one in St Philips (Foley Lane, off Days Road) and one in Avonmouth (Kings Weston Lane).
Read more here.
Where does Bristol's recyclable materials go?
Each person throws away on average 378kg of waste each year. Even if only half of that is recycled, this is still a large amount every year and a huge amount over ones' lifetime. All of Bristol's recycling is sent to reprocessors within England and Wales.
B.5 Waste
Bristol City Council is responsible for both the collection and disposal of household waste together with a wide range of street-scene related services:
- Collections from households of refuse, recycling, kitchen food waste, garden waste, bulky waste and household clinical waste.
- Making arrangements for the disposal of collected waste; operation of the Council’s waste transfer stations and Household Recycling Centres.
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- Waste collections from chargeable domestic customers such as schools, nurseries and nursing homes.
The developments in reducing the capacity for residual waste include:
- Food waste and cardboard collections (first introduced in 2006) were rolled out to schools, halls of residence and flats in 2009.
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- In 2009 a smaller residual waste bins policy was introduced (from 240 litre to 180 litre on a replacement only basis). The majority of residual waste bins were replaced by 180 litre smaller bins by 2012.
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- Bristol has led the way in educating children and young people about the importance of sustainability and waste reduction. Since 2009/10 recycling has risen from 4% in the average Bristol school to around 45%.
Charities and social enterprises in Bristol have played a valuable role in helping to engage residents, reduce the amount of waste disposed of and increasing the amount of waste diverted from landfill.
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- Reduce
- Reuse
- Recycle
In terms of the amount of waste that Bristol sends to landfill, there has been significant progress. In 2014/15, just under 30% of Bristol’s residual waste was going to landfill; equivalent to around 52,000 tonnes of Bristol’s waste.
Bristol's categorised waste percentages
Meat
- Over 60% of land in the South West being used for livestock.
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- 90% of the meat produced is sold straight to supermarkets and wholesalers
- Local Suppliers include:
Windmill Hill City Farm (1 mile)
St Werburgh’s City Farm (1.9 miles)
Elm Tree Farm (3.1 miles)
Lawrence Weston Community Farm (5.8 miles)
*Distance From Temple Church*
Cereals, grains and bread
- Cereals is an area where Bristol is an importer from other regions and abroad.
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- The climate is generally too damp and cool for growing the quality of wheat required for making bread.
- 70% of the cereals grown in the region are destined for animal feed.
B.6 Food
The Who Feeds Bristol Report published by sustainable food systems planner Joy Carey in 2011, found that Bristol could provide the dairy and meat it needs from within a 50-mile radius, but for other produce, it was necessary to look further afield (Wetherell, 2017)
Dairy
- 5500 dairy farms in the south west, producing around 37% of England’s milk.
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- The UK’s largest organic dairy brand, Yeo Valley, are based just 11 miles south of Bristol.
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- Several smaller dairy producers supply direct to retail outlets and restaurants, including:
Bruton Dairy (28 miles)
Ivy House Dairy (20.7 miles)
Jess’s Ladies (31.5 miles)
*Distance From Temple Church*
The action plans and revised communications work that will follow this refreshed strategy will place a particular emphasis on tackling food waste. Actions focused on reducing food waste, include the work being undertaken as part of the Good Food Plan for Bristol and the priority to ‘achieve a healthier, more sustainable, more resilient food system for the city to benefit the local economy and the environment (Read more here).
Fruit and Vegetables
- Just 6% of Great Britain’s overall vegetable production coming from the South West.
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- The Bristol Fruit Market in St Philips is the main purchasing option for most businesses and retailers.
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- A growing number of farms have opted to supply directly to customers, such as:
Leigh Court Farm (4.7 miles)
Sims Hill Shared Harvest (4.4 miles)
The Community Farm (8.1 miles)
*Distance From Temple Church*
Site / surroundings food and seating places
Food cycle
Sporadic noise sources
A.7 Biodiversity
B.7 Urban Ambience
Since the 1960s and 70s, reports of the strange hum have been a regular thing, especially in the west of the city, around Coombe Dingle, Sneyd Park, Stoke Bishop, Westbury on Trym and Henleaze.
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It has been the source of mystery and annoyance in equal measure for more than 50 years, but now a man in north Bristol thinks he might just have captured the infamous Bristol Hum visually.
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A senior research scientist at Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, said the elusive sound could be caused by the pressure of waves vibrating on the ocean floor.
Contour map of loud and quiet spaces
Source: Bristol City Council (n.d.)
Richard Batt's phone showing the
Bristol Hum on Spectroid app.
Black Lives Matter
Civic memory
Riots and
protests
Edward Colston
Memory and
merchants
A radical Bristol
Building schools and roads / investing in Bristol
Slavery
B.8 Heritage, Culture &
Civic Memory
Culture
Bristol
Heritage
Fashion
Temple Church
The leaning tower and walls of this large late medieval church in Bristol survived bombing during the Second World War. Temple Church is so called because the original church here was built by the Knights Templar, the medieval military order founded to protect pilgrims to the Holy Land. Their round church was later replaced with a more spacious rectangular one, and the shape of the first church is marked out in the ground. The graveyard is now a public garden (Read more here).
Art and culture
Food and drink
Temple Church
Street Art - Banksy
Bristol
- Derived from the Saxon place name BrygStow that means 'the place by the bridge'
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- The city crest a merchant ship alongside a castle, highlighting the importance of the port, trade and economic wealth
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- The topography of the city has defined its history, with iconic terraces of Clifton, Clifton Wood and Kingsdown
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- The Avon Gorge led to the Clifton Suspension Bridge.
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- Extreme tidal range of the Severn and Avon created the need for a Floating Harbour, linking to innovation and engineering prowess
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- The urban area of Bristol has grown from the 1700s with the city centre situated at the heart
- Art and the public
realm of Bristol
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- Art pieces and drawings
of the Temple Church
24-day, non-stop programme of arts and performances
“Sanctum is a collaboration with the city’s materials, the city’s administrators, the city’s artists and musicians to engage in quietly restorative work and to amplify the city’s unheard voices,” Gates said.
Read more here.
Temple Church
The leaning tower and walls of this large late medieval church in Bristol survived bombing during the Second World War. Temple Church is so called because the original church here was built by the Knights Templar, the medieval military order founded to protect pilgrims to the Holy Land. Their round church was later replaced with a more spacious rectangular one, and the shape of the first church is marked out in the ground. The graveyard is now a public garden.
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