Herefordshire Archive and Records Centre

The Herefordshire Archive and Records Centre is the UK’s first Passivhaus Archive, providing a comfortable, consistent working environment with a constant supply of fresh air all year round. The simple form creates a variety of stimulating internal spaces, with exhibition areas and distinctive public and private zones.

Particular focus and attention was given to creating a building that is welcoming to both regular and drop-in visitors. The choice of internal materials reflects the characteristics of each internal activity zone, creating a clear and defined arrangement of spaces.

Location

Hereford, UK

Area

3,350 m2

Status

Completed

Year

2015

Client

Herefordshire Council

The new facility provides a ‘one-stop’ service to the public and professionals alike, for access to local historic and environmental records and information. It is envisaged that due to the new facility having a multidisciplinary service, visitor numbers will rise significantly, benefiting from the wider service, extensive outreach, education and workshops.

The location of the site offers opportunity for a civic presence to Holme Lacy Road, the main arterial route through the Enterprise Zone, with the site accessible by car, bus, cycle or foot via the new sustrans/connect2 bridge over the River Wye – connecting the Enterprise Zone to the City Centre.

Our new facility will be a landmark and sets the precedent for future archival building design.

Cllr Roger Phillips, Cabinet Member for Economy & Culture

Vision

All vision

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How can you drive down energy use through passive preservation?

Passive Preservation

Passivhaus

How can you drive down energy use through passive preservation?

Form follows physics

The building takes the form of two simple and distinct masses, a windowless three-storey cedar-clad concrete box for the archive and records repository over three storeys, and a timber framed building for the other functions. These two blocks are separated by a ‘buffer zone’ in the form of a linear atrium which provides thermal buffering for the store and stack ventilation for the subsidiary spaces.

Lessons from the first Passivhaus archive

The form and fabric of the building are designed to be extremely air tight, with low U valves, high mass to the repositories, with maximised beneficial solar gain. The spaces are well daylit, and the lighting and controls are designed to work with occupation and daylight profiles. Ventilation is provided by high efficiency heat recovery air handling units, and the repositories have minimal mechanical intervention. The systems are controlled via a BMS, written to allow the users simple and effective control and monitoring.

Design

The building takes the form of two simple and distinct masses separated by a ‘buffer zone’ which is articulated into an entrance foyer, reception, information and display area, overlooked by bridges and a tunnel at higher levels connecting the two spaces.

The larger of the two masses, an un-perforated concrete structural box with vented cedar shingle cladding, holds the main archive and records repository forming secure accommodation over three storeys and providing thermally isolated and environmentally controlled conditions – tuned and optimised for archival storage. The other, a lightweight 2-storey timber framed system houses the offices, public search rooms and education facilities. Specified for their graceful weathering patterns, the proposed palette is made up of high quality ‘natural’ materials, which sit, in visual harmony with the landscape.

A key aspiration was to provide a warm and welcoming atmosphere with an air of frugal quality without ostentation. The building reflects a suitable scale and materiality, and in keeping with these aspirations, articulates the use of concrete, timber and glass.

Architype’s genuine passion for sustainable design has been evident in their approach. Adopting Passivhaus to achieve a low energy environment has proven to be the most logical solution and their design has truly captured our brief.