A good local example is the National Glass Centre in Sunderland, designed by Andy Gollifer in 1998. Sunderland was originally an industrial area, dominated by mining, shipbuilding and glass manufacturing. The industries were closed down in the 1980s and 90s, which left large areas of derelict land. The Glass Centre was sited on derelict industrial land and demonstrates how aspects of the industrial past can be transformed into progressive sites for the future.
Conference Room
The roof divides into two slopes, one ascending from ground level to form a veranda overlooking the river, the other plunging into the heart of the building to form the entrance. The roof is covered in glass as a tribute to Wearside's glass industry, which has exited since the year 674 A.D. It has a strong industrial aesthetic, including heavy-duty conference room that is raised off the ground and supported on four steel legs filled with concrete. It projects an industrial image that celebrates the history of the area. It is also reminiscent of High Tech architecture.
How does this qualify as green design? The building houses a glass factory and studio, which are on view to the public. Since glass-making generates a lot of heat, the heat from the furnaces is circulated around the building to provide heating. Otherwise, a building with so much glass would be cold. Conversely, it would be too warm in summer. To prevent that an "earth tube" sends air 3.5m below ground where the temperature is a constant 13 degrees Celsius, and uses it to cool the building. On current estimates, the heat exchange system saves £80,000 a year in fuel bills. The paraphernalia of bio-mimicry is displayed on the exterior, with these exhaust pipes and so on.
Roof
The land had to be reclaimed before building could building commence, which involved removing concrete slipways and contaminated earth. The contractors imported 200,000 m3 of crushed concrete from the nearby Monkwearmouth coal mine, which stood where the Stadium of Light is now. They thereby recycled a waste product from the colliery and saved the need for new materials.
The Glass Centre suffered from structural problems. Ironically, the glass roof cracked as soon as it was finished and had to be replaced. The building has not found favour with the Sunderland public, but it is an effective combination of factory and visitor space and it's a model of the efficient use of energy.
