• Renovation of 20 storey tower block, 160 dwellings for elderly people
• Vertical axis wind turbines
• Photovoltaics
• Heating: district CHP
• 50% reduction in energy use
• Environmentally sensitive building materials
• Waste sorting and collection system
• Water saving measures
• Rainwater harvesting

In January 2001, Westminster City Council, a partner in INTEGER for three years, asked INTEGER to investigate options for the intelligent and green refurbishment of housing in general, and specifically residential tower blocks. This represented a new and exciting challenge for INTEGER, one which is of enormous significance in national and global terms.

The refurbishment project was broken down into four key stages:

Feasibility study (completed November 2001)

To identify ways in which Westminster's housing policy objectives can be applied to the refurbishment of a tower block, using Glastonbury House in Pimlico as a vehicle for a study of generic solutions which may be applied throughout Westminster

Demonstration Project (December 2001 - July 2003)

To propose and demonstrate ways in which possible refurbishment solutions may be trialled in a small scale demonstration project. For this purpose, Westminster City Council allocated two bedsit flats on the 19th floor, along with an exhibition space on the ground floor. The refurbished areas opened in September 2002, and will stay open until July 2003, during which period extensive consultation and ideas development will take place involving the City Council, residents, suppliers and other stakeholders.

Pilot Project (Commence July 2002)

To consider how the ideas, processes and technologies used in the demonstration phase may be implemented on a major refurbishment of Glastonbury House or another similar tower block, and to begin the pilot refurbishment project in July 2003.

Policy, procedure and guidelines (ongoing)

INTEGER is an action reseach network, and effective communication of research outputs is especially important. This occurs through written literature, seminars, workshop sessions and also through the INTEGER Education Programme. This initiative aims to bring the pilot project into the lives of the whole local community, and particularly into the school lives of the local children. To date, INTEGER has helped to develop around forty lessions linking into key areas of the National Curriculum such as physics, chemistry, design and citizenship. INTEGER will work with schools in the Pimlico area to involve them in the pilot project, bringing the children.

Key Ideas

INTEGER's strategy for the refurbishment of Glastonbury House was devised around the requirement for innovation in seven key areas related to social housing

Management - Better Service, Better Stock, Better Performance

• Service - using technology to improve information flows and decision making processes. Examples include smart utility metering, electronic fault reporting, remote diagnostics of problems with equipment, leading to reduced maintenance requirments and increased service intervals.
• Stock - reduce voids, improve flexibility in flat types, increase value throughout the stakeholder chain
• Performance - using technology to assist with improving the performance of the building throughout its lifetime, to the benefit of all stakeholders

Social - Empowering People

• Participation - consultation with residents, inviting stakeholder participation throughout the demonstration phase, working up a series of choices for the pilot phase
• Empowerment - offer the best support, facilities and technologies for all stakeholders in Glastonbury Tower and the surrounding community, empowering all participants
• Independence - enabling people to live in their own homes for as long as possible, avoiding dependence on acute healthcare facilities and creating safe environments through the provision of best support, facilities and technologies

Design - Making a Special Place

• Neighbourhood - enriching the life of the local community through the creation of a better neighbourhood office, improved communal facilities for residents, provision of meeting facilities for the local Age Concern group, possible creation of a neighbourhood health centre, and better landscaping.
• Block - strip the block back to its structurally sound shell, but replace its worn-out service infrastructure. Improve facilities within the block, and resolve problems such as inadequate refuse disposal facilities, install state of the art intelligent lifts, create more desirable flats and offer flexible accommodation. Create a new sky lounge on the roof of the building to allow residents to benefit from stunning 100 metre high views across central London.
• Flat - improve the living environment by providing enclosable balconies, upgrading kitchens and bathroom, installing better heating and lighting control systems, overhauling finishes, and installing network cabling for voice, data and television reception through the whole flat

Construction - Leaner, Cleaner, Faster, Safer

• Shell - deal with the external works to the building as much as possible from the exterior of the building, in order to minimise disruption fto the life of the residents within the tower
• Core - maintain existing service infrastructures such as lifts and building service risers while replacement infrastructures such as external intelligent lifts and new, modern building services are installed, in order to minimise disruption to the life of the residents within the tower
• Fit-out - develop and train multi-skilled teams to carry out rapid fit-out of flats on a rolling basis, to minimise disruption and to reduce the amount of time for which residents are required to vacate their flats.

Technology - Controls, Communication and Care

• Controls - improve the way in which the systems within the building cope with changes in environmental conditions. They encourage sustainability through improved use of energy. Increase the security of the block and the safety of the people within it through better CCTV and access control systems
• Communications - install a cabling network at both block and flat level which will allow residents to benefit from new media such as digital television, broadband internet access and lower cost telephony, no matter what room of the block they are in
• Care - use control systems to provide passive and unobtrusive monitoring of residents to check that regular habits are kept to, and hence pick up any unusual behaviour which may be a sign of distress. Provide assistive technologies to help those with dextrous or sensory impairments to live more independently, and install effective alarm call and telecare systems

Environment - Sustainability, Low Energy, Water and Waste

• Energy - target 50% energy savings and a 50% reduction in carbon emissions through more efficient heating and lighting systems, improved building insulation and use of renewable energies such as solar water heaters, photovoltaics and wind turbines
• Water - target 40% water savings by efficiency measures including rainwater harvesting, use of spray taps and grey water recycling
• Waste - reduce waste in construction by closer management and off-site fabrication. Introduce pre-contract specifications for re-cycling. Reduce waste in use by considering waste separation, compaction and other technologies
• Micro-climate - Improve the micro-climate around the base of the building thorugh intelligent landscaping and the introduction of wind-deflectors. Make the balconies of the flats more habitable through enclosure and also reducing the number of pigeons

Financial - Best Value For Life

• Investment - exceptionally high land values within Westminster dictate typical development costs of some £300,000 per unit in the provision of new residential accommodation. Appropriate investment levels in refurbishment need to be measured in this context. In particular the reduction of voids in typical blocks such as Glastonbury House (by reconfiguring accommodation to minimise unpopular flat types) justifies a significant level of investment
• Best value - use of innovative procurement routes, two stage tendering, partnering, early involvement of suppliers and off-site fabrication to drive unit costs down
• Cost benefit menu - create a menu of options suitable for application throughout Westminster City Council's housing stock. Use the Demonstration Project and Pilot Project to assess the costs and benefits of these various options
• Life cycle costs - invest for the longer term in the housing stock. Target a 10% saving in year on year costs when compared to a traditional refurbishment benchmarked against the 9% savings identified in the feasibility study. The short term uplift in construction cost will be greatly outweighed by benefits to residents, community and Council, by the reduction in void flats, by extending the life of the building, by reducing maintenance costs and by reduced operating costs.