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B&Q continues to invest in sustainable development, with the opening of its New Malden store in January 2009.
Situated on the A3 at Shannon Corner, the store is easily visible with a three-storey high glass “super shopfront” and a 35m high signage tower topped by a 20 KW wind turbine, the largest integrated turbine yet installed on a building in the UK.
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New Malden is a new model, large format Home Improvement store that requires half the land area of a traditional B&Q Warehouse development, making efficient use of valuable urban land. The full size trading area is on the first floor above two levels of parking. Servicing, the building yard and a trade counter also sit underneath the main store.
New Malden has been built with sustainable materials where possible; with FSC certified wood specified throughout, recycled plastics in the customer toilets and low VOC paints used throughout the building.
The building will achieve almost a 50% reduction in CO2 emissions, when compared with a traditional unit of similar size, and will be B&Q's most sustainable store to date. It features many energy saving technologies – a number of which have already been trialled in other B&Q’s development across its estate – and some which are available for customers to purchase for their own homes.
The store is heated using a geothermal system, which uses heat extracted from the earth through over one hundred 100-metre deep boreholes sunk into the ground below the building and connected to heat exchange pumps. The system will heat and cool the store via pipes laid under the floor, replacing the gas fired warm air units used in traditional stores, improving the sales floor environment for customers.
A series of Photovoltaic panels act as a sun shade to the stores offices and coffee shop and will convert solar radiation into electricity that will be used to reduce the store’s power requirements.
The store also features solar thermal water heating to provide hot water for the WCs and coffee shop.
Insulation: the building has been insulated to the highest levels to minimise heat losses through the roof and walls.
The building features a green roof over the offices that will absorb CO2, provide a habitat for insects, increase insulation, extend the life of the roof by protecting the roof covering from the weather and reduce storm water runoff.
Lighting: the store has been designed with a north light roof that provides higher natural lighting levels across the sales floor. The store lighting system uses dimming control to reduce energy consumption. All lighting throughout the store will use energy efficient lamps.
The store features sun pipes inserted into the roof to provide natural daylight into areas that daylight cannot reach, minimising the need for artificial lighting and associated reduce energy use.
Water Saving: a rainwater harvesting system provides water for toilet flushing and the garden centre irrigation, reducing water usage and assisting in storm water management. Rainwater is collected from the roof and stored in a 30,000 litre tank located underneath the car park. The store’s toilets also feature water saving devices, such as low flush WC’s and aerated taps.
David Childs, Director of B&Q Properties says: “As part of our commitment to One Planet Living, we set ourselves sustainability targets for this store that significantly exceeds planning and building regulation standards. We are incorporating technologies which significantly reduce this stores impact on the environment and also makes good business sense, for B&Q; for example in reducing our utility bills. New Malden is an important store for us, in a valued location and will enable us to provide our customers in South West London with the best store we can offer.”
Paul Hinkin, Managing Director of Black Architecture, representing the store’s design team, says: “this pioneering development represents a milestone in large format retail store design. This sustainable, high density scheme is designed to integrate into a complex urban setting and responds to the London authorities’ policies that promote high quality design, sustainability and mixed use development.”
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