Thermal Comfort

ILEX Blok: Humidity-triggered mechanical ventilation maintains relative humidity (RH) close to optimal value. High thermal performance protects against temperature extremes. Large window area can provide solar gain to further reduce winter heating. Calculations by external experts (using PHPP software) show thermal comfort requires little heating (see Running Costs below) and the Blok suffers no overheating in the UK (over 25°C), even for south-facing orientation.

Impact: Up to 10% impact on performance. High temperatures lead to tiredness. Low temperatures cause discomfort.

RIBA Targets: Relative humidity (RH): 40-70%. Temperature: 25-28°C max for 1% of occupied hours. Minimum temperature for UK offices is 16°C but employers are required to ensure that working is conducted at a ‘reasonable temperature’, which doesn’t require special clothing for comfort.

Air Quality

ILEX Block: Mechanical heat recovery ventilation maintains CO₂ and VOC levels close to levels in the external environment.

Impact: 8-11% productivity improvements seen when buildings are well ventilated to ensure low concentrations of CO₂ and VOCs.

RIBA Target: CO₂ levels < 900 ppm, VOCs < 0.3 mg/m3.

Lighting

ILEX Blok: Light levels over 0.6% daylight average.

Impact: Productivity gains when workers are close to a window, with views outside and connection to nature the most significant factor. Office workers working with high levels of natural lighting sleep better (e.g. 46 minutes more in one study).

RIBA 2030 Target: Light levels over 0.2% daylight average. The ILEX Blok offers three times the natural light target level.

Noise

ILEX Blok: Advanced insulation system and triple-glazed windows ensures external noise levels are reduced significantly to bring focus to your work.

Impact: Office noise and chatter reduces worker productivity and happiness. Distracting noise creates a 66% drop in performance.

RIBA Target: Noise levels in focused offices below 35-40 dB LAeq,T

Embodied carbon

ILEX Blok: The ILEX Blok has a negative carbon footprint. The use of wood-based materials locks up substantial amounts of CO₂. It's carbon footprint is better than -120 kgCO₂e/m² (using internal area).

Impact: A low level of embodied carbon means a low contribution to greenhouse gas emissions.

RIBA 2030 Targets: By 2030, embodied carbon less than 500 kgCO₂e/m² for commercial property and less than 300 kgCO₂e/m² for residential. note that these are positive carbon footprint targets, but the ILEX Blok has a negative carbon footprint and beats both 2030 targets now.

Running costs

ILEX Blok: Independent calculations show the ILEX Blok requires 155kWh per year of energy to heat for the whole year - that’s £49/yr (@ 31 pence/kWh) and less than 30 kWh/m²/yr using internal area. 

Impact: Low energy use means low running costs and reduced impact on the environment.

RIBA 2030 Targets: By 2030, operational energy consumption less than 55 kWh/m²/yr for commercial property and less than 35 kWh/m²/yr for residential. The ILEX Blok meets both 2030 targets now.

Sources

Health, Wellbeing & Productivity in Offices. The next chapter for green building - World Green Building Council https://www.worldgbc.org/sites/default/files/compressed_WorldGBC_Health_Wellbeing__Productivity_Full_Report_Dbl_Med_Res_Feb_2015.pdf

RIBA Climate Challenge 2030
https://www.architecture.com/-/media/files/Climate-action/RIBA-2030-Climate-Challenge.pdf

HSE
https://www.hse.gov.uk/temperature/thermal/factors.htm 

BS 8233:2014

Construction

The Blok is structurally assessed and constructed from an engineered timber (laminated veneer lumber - LVL) to ensure stability and natural carbon lock up.

Security

WiFi-connected smoke/CO and door-opening sensors ensure you have peace of mind and can be alerted on your phone to unwanted events.

Thermal performance

Achieving good thermal performance depends on the type and thickness of insulation chosen, good air tightness and good detailing.

The ILEX Blok incorporateshigh-performance insulation materials technologies, including triple-glazed K-glass and woodfibre insulation (220 mm thick). Engineering calculations show this delivers heating energy requirements below 35 kWh/m2/yr, depending on orientation, outperforming almost all UK commercial office space.

The ILEX Blok also includes air tightness seals and low thermal-bridging interfaces.

Overheating

The internal temperature of heavily-glazed buildings can become prohibitively high for significant portions of the year. We have worked with thermal engineers to design a system of insulation, glazing, natural ventilation and external shuttering that will maintain the internal temperature to reasonable levels (<25°C), even for a south-facing orientation.

Lighting

Floor-to-ceiling glass in all three windows creates a high degree of natural lighting, three times that recommended by RIBA, and highly beneficial to focus and wellbeing.

Stylish integrated LED uplighters provide additional lighting.

An external LED strip provides subtle low-energy access assistance.

Internal environment

Mechanical heat recovery ventilation maintains a high level of air quality and relative humidity without compromising thermal performance. This helps to maintain good health and concentration.

Thermostat-controlled underfloor heating provides a heating boost when needed.

Servicing

We have ensured that the Blok can be serviced annually to ensure its performance is maintained, and its core is easily refurbished for future use.