Curl la Tourelle Head Architecture has created a concept for a school that would sit on the Thames wharf side at Cannon Street and could become the greenest building in London. The Thames Tidal School concept is “an exemplar of low embodied energy and carbon construction technologies,” according to the architect.
The school would be built using natural and bio-renewable materials sourced through local supply chains. The key component of the building’s many sustainable elements, however, is not the building materials it would use, but how it would generate its power.
Rendering: Forbes Massie.
The Tidal School would be built on the shore at the narrowest section of the Thames. The building would extend over the river and use turbines underneath to capture the tidal power. The build site at the narrowest section of the river is important because that is where the velocity of the tidal flow is at its highest point. The submerged turbines would harness the tidal power four times per day and use the energy produced to supply the building with carbon neutral power.
The Thames Tidal School is designed to meet the certifications of the Passivhaus standard and the BREEAM Outstanding rating.
Rendering: Forbes Massie.
Related Stories
| Dec 9, 2013
Skaneateles, N.Y., converts old firehouse to net-zero village hall
The Finger Lakes village of Skaneateles, N.Y., renovated its vacant firehouse into Skaneateles Village Hall, the first municipal net-zero energy building in the state of New York.
| Dec 2, 2013
Security is key component of Army’s net-zero assessment strategy
For the U.S. Army, creating secure sources of energy is an important driver for its net zero goals. Critical military missions are at a high risk of failure in the event of an electric grid failure, according to a Defense Science Board report.
| Nov 27, 2013
LEED for Healthcare offers new paths to green
LEED for Healthcare debuted in spring 2011, and certifications are now beginning to roll in. They include the new Puyallup (Wash.) Medical Center and the W.H. and Elaine McCarty South Tower at Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas in Austin.
| Nov 27, 2013
University reconstruction projects: The 5 keys to success
This AIA CES Discovery course discusses the environmental, economic, and market pressures affecting facility planning for universities and colleges, and outlines current approaches to renovations for critical academic spaces.
| Nov 25, 2013
New California codes moving state toward net-zero requirements
Under the new Title 24, all new residential construction must be net zero by 2020, with all new commercial buildings achieving this goal by 2030.
| Nov 22, 2013
Health Product Declaration Collaborative to develop protocol for third-party verification of HPDs
Seven leading product sustainability assessment companies partner with the HPD Collaborative to develop the verification and quality assurance protocols.
| Nov 19, 2013
Top 10 green building products for 2014
Assa Abloy's power-over-ethernet access-control locks and Schüco's retrofit façade system are among the products to make BuildingGreen Inc.'s annual Top-10 Green Building Products list.
| Nov 19, 2013
Net-zero senior housing project aimed at low-income residents in Virginia
A big driver to achieve net-zero was to offer affordable housing with reduced energy costs for low-income seniors.
| Nov 18, 2013
USGBC, UL Environment announce joint Environmental Product Declaration
Strategic partnership between U.S. Green Building Council and UL Environment will focus on building materials and product transparency.
| Nov 15, 2013
Greenbuild 2013 Report - BD+C Exclusive
The BD+C editorial team brings you this special report on the latest green building trends across nine key market sectors.
