Must see in London — The Crystal
One of the World’s Most Sustainable Buildings
Part of my ‘Zero Waste Life’ Meetup Group, I’ve organized a behind the scenes tour at The Crystal.
Siemens opened the Crystal in 2012 as a global hub for debate on sustainable living and development. The Crystal sets the benchmark for sustainable building design. It is the only building in the world to achieve the highest certification in both the BREEAM and LEED schemes, as well as many other accreditations. Siemens technologies throughout the building ensure the highest energy efficiency and CO2 standards are met.
As part of our tour behind the scenes, we’ve been shown the following:
Building Energy Management System
The Crystal Building Energy Management System is produced by Siemens and controls all electrical and mechanical systems in the building. Information from an outdoor weather station supplements over 3,500 data points within the Crystal. Connected systems include:
~Heating, air-conditioning and ventilation systems
~Weather station
~Lighting controls
~Ground source heat pump
~Solar thermal hot water system
~Black and rainwater systems
~Fire alarm and evacuation systems
~Photovoltaic system
Heating and cooling
Ground source heat pumps supply virtually all of the building’s heating and most of its cooling. The system works by pumping water through a pipe that loops deep into the ground. There are 199 pipes at the Crystal totaling 17km in length and reaching as deep as 150m. Two ground source heat pumps then create hot and chilled water and pump it to underfloor pipes for heating or chilled beams for cooling. Cold water is passed through a ceiling mounted beam so when the rising hot air reaches the chilled beam it cools and sinks, bringing chilled air to those below. Energy is recovered by thermal wheels. Outgoing air passes over a heat-absorbing disc which then rotates into the incoming air stream, warming the fresh air. Around 60% of outgoing heat or cooling energy is recovered. By using 100% natural heat sources, the Crystal receives no heating bill.
Light and ventilation
The Crystal’s self-shading facades use high-performance solar glass which allows around 70% of visible light through each window but only about 30% of the solar energy. The glass has three layers and an Argon cavity. Almost every space in the building has access to natural daylight, meaning minimal artificial light is needed. The lighting system in the Crystal uses a combination of 65% fluorescent lights and 35% LED lights along with an advanced control system produced by Siemens which automatically adjusts every individual lamp to provide comfortable brightness levels without wasting electricity. Daylight and presence detectors will dim the electric lighting or turn it off when it is not needed. The Crystal Building Energy Management System senses indoor and outdoor conditions and then controls the most suitable, energy efficient ventilation mode for each part of the building. At moderate temperatures, natural ventilation is used and the windows open automatically. At low or high temperatures the windows close and a mechanical ventilation system takes over. Natural ventilation can also be used during night time, reducing the cooling demand during the following day.
Water
Rainwater is collected directly from the building’s roof and stored in a 30m³ underground storage tank. Water is treated using filtration and ultraviolet disinfection. Blackwater receives the highest level of treatment when it is recycled, passing through a biological tank with two treatment zones (anoxic and aerobic) and two filters (a membrane filter and a long life carbon filter). The recycled water is used for irrigation and toilet flushing across the site. 100% of WC flushing is taken from our non-potable sources. Around 80% of the building’s hot water is heated by a combination of solar thermal water heating from the roof and ground source heat pumps.
Energy
The Crystal is a 100% electric building, around 20% of which is generated by the 1580 m2 of solar photovoltaic roof panels that cover two-thirds of the roof. Energy use in the Crystal is monitored so extensively that every kilowatt of electricity used can be measured. This can then be compared with the performance of other buildings across the world to ensure efficiencies are maintained. CO2 emissions for the Siemens offices in the Crystal are around 70% lower than in comparable office buildings in the UK.
Outside the building
The Crystal has been built on a brownfield site in a historically industrial area. The ground was treated and reclaimed prior to construction. Hard surfaces surrounding the site are made from durable, recycled materials. A green roof covering the building’s energy centre provides storm water attenuation and a habitat for a rich variety of plant and animal life. There are standard electric car charging points on site for 12 cars and one rapid charging unit.
The building took only 18 months to build and it was put together by pieces, just like lego. The building is home to the world’s largest exhibition on urban sustainability, an auditorium and conferencing facilities and also offices for Siemens’ Center of Competence Cities — a team of experts whose emphasis on future cities is embedded in sustainable development and urban infrastructure. The purpose of the building was to demonstrate the importance of cities in today’s world, and the role that cities and their infrastructure have in creating a sustainable future. The building also demonstrates to a global audience the art of the possible in terms of engineering, technology and infrastructure.
So if you’re visiting London or are looking for a fun activity, pay them a visit. https://www.thecrystal.org/visit-the-exhibition/plan-your-visit/ And don’t forget that if you’re a student or work in education, entry to the exhibition is free!
More pictures about the building:
Love
Delia
