Beddington Zero Energy Development (BedZED)

Beddington Zero Energy Development (BedZED) is one of the great examples of innovative sustainable housing. It is located in the Sutton, London as the first large-scale eco-village of England. It was designed by architect Bill Dunster in 2000-2002. It has 82 houses, 17 flats and a workplace area of 1.405 m². The project is a carbon neutral community with ample green spaces, recycling facilities, water saving features and a green transportation plan.

 

The main purpose of the BedZED is to enable roof gardens, sunlight, solar energy and to reduce energy consumption, with a strong emphasis on waste water recycling. In addition, the project has also adopted an environmentalist principle during its construction. The site is created from all-natural, recycled materials. All wood materials used are approved by internationally recognized environmental organizations.  In order to maximize the heat gain from the sun, houses that use passive solar techniques are designed with south-facing terraces. Moreover, each terrace is backed up with north-facing offices, which minimizes solar gain, reducing the tendency to overheat and eliminating the need for air conditioning.

Valuable lesson from this project is the importance of thinking about not just buildings, but how to design communities to help living sustainable lifestyles. A combined heat and power plant was designed to burn waste to generate hot water and electricity. Waste from buildings is depurated and used as flush water in toilets. One of the biggest problems of today’s world is the impact of transportation vehicles on the world. While transportation vehicles reduce non-renewable energy sources, they also give rise to harmful gases being released into the atmosphere. However, the majority of vehicles used by residents are powered by electricity. BedZED works in partnership with City Car Club, the UK’s leading car sharing operator, to meet their transport needs. In this practice, users pay a monthly fee and then pay per hour to use vehicles parked at various locations, which can be used and returned as needed. Parking areas also have places to charge cars. Still, people usually prefer walking and cycling. Trains and buses are also common means of transportation.

As a result of research conducted 7 years later, it was found that households;

• Use 2,579 kWh of electricity per year which is 45% lower than the Sutton average.
• Use only 72 liters of tap water per day, with 15 liters of recycled or rain water added to it. This amount of water is less than half of the local average.
• Recycle or compost 60% of waste by weight.
• Mostly buy organic food and 39% of them grow some of their own food.

In conclusion, it has been determined that there is a significant reduction in ecological and carbon footprint compared to the UK average. Despite such an inspiring reduction, it was observed that in environments outside the site such as schools and the workplace, unfortunately, sustainability did not persist. Residents mostly prefer not to own cars and drive far fewer miles. Yet, they fly more. Therefore, the overall impact of transportation is slightly higher than the average person living in Sutton. Still, in such an era in which humans are rapidly consuming natural resources, BedZED is a splendid example of sustainable housing.

Sources;

B.R.D.G. (n.d.). BedZED Seven Years On. Global Wellness Institute. https://globalwellnessinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/BedZEDsevenyearson_lowres.pdf

I. (2009, August 12). BEDZED: Beddington Zero Energy Development in London. Inhabitat – Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building. https://inhabitat.com/bedzed-beddington-zero-energy-development-london/

BedZED – the UK’s first large-scale eco-village –. (n.d.). Bioregional. Retrieved June 3, 2021, from https://www.bioregional.com/projects-and-services/case-studies/bedzed-the-uks-first-large-scale-eco-village

Wikipedia contributors. (2021, June 1). BedZED. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BedZED

Widdowson, J. (2017, July 13). PowerPoint 3: BedZED (Beddington Zero Energy Development). SlideShare. https://slideplayer.com/slide/217665/

BedZED. (n.d.). Zedfactory. Retrieved June 3, 2021, from https://www.zedfactory.com/bedzed