projects
Project Number 1: Rench Farm, Drumclog.
Client: Alan McLiesh - QTS Group of Companies.
Budget: Approximately £1,000,000
Design Brief: Change of Use from dwelling house with associated farm buildings to (extended) dwelling house and office accommodation with associated agricultural and arboriculture storage.
One of the key components to the scheme design, a factor which the applicant was anxious to incorporate into the design is the environmental design features and the low environmental impact of the scheme.
For example, rainwater from the roofs will be harvested and reused within the office accommodation for toilet flushing and other non-potable uses. Additionally harvested rainwater may be used for the adjacent and associated arboricultural and agricultural buildings non-potable uses. All toilet cisterns will have a dual-flush operation to minimise water useage.
Toilet and sink waste will be treated initially via a bio-disk with an overflow into a reed bed treatment system which will ultimately discharge to ground. The existing pond depths will be revised as necessary to provide the necessary varying depths required for an effective reed bed treatment system.
The South facing slope of the main office accommodation will house solar panels which will be used to pre-heat the hot water required for the office use.
The use of North facing roof lights will also minimise the electrical requirement for artificial lighting.
Where possible existing stonework will be reused using traditional building techniques. Additionally existing roofing slates will be carefully removed, sized, dressed, bored and reused on the new roofing elements.
Both Planning and Building Warrant Approvals were secured within two months of the respective application being lodged and works are due to be completed on site by the end of 2007.