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iHub competition

Interior view of iHub: the Heart
iHub's heart, a flexible conference space that also acts as the social core of the building, articulating the interactions between visitors and residents
Storyboard for the iHub
The storyboard was a very powerful tool to explore the subtle relationships between the different iHub users, both in space and time
A summary of the sustainability strategy for iHub
Along with human interactions, our strategy focused on the extensive use of daylighting and natural ventilation, but also on-site waste water treatment and integration with cycling and public transport routes, shaping both the architectural forms and the site landscape
External view of the iHub model
A context view of the iHub complex, integrated in its site

This joint entry team project, involving 2hD Architects, Boden Associates and Shared Design, provides a beacon for projecting creative thought through a strong formal and spatial presence, connected with the surrounding canal, road and cycle routes and characterised by a light ecological touch.

This Building Research Establishment competition called for an innovative hub and office building to link centres of excellence in the built environment with entrepreneurial business in order to promote innovative and sustainable technologies. Submitted designs were also encouraged to connect the local town community with the building and its agenda of sustainability and innovation.

The brightly-clad conference theatre pod sits within a highly flexible and dramatically-lit exhibition space, which in turn acts as the activity heart and connective node of the complex. The greened roof above the exhibition hall innovatively reconfigures the site topography providing a new habitat for local ecosystems and driving the natural ventilation inside.

Our key achievements in this project:

  • establishing the right level and pattern of connections with the local town
  • distilling the client’s main values needing to be addressed in the project
  • establishing the relational logic of the set of activities to be accommodated
  • determining a fundamental and innovative sustainability strategy
  • marrying sustainability aims with an exciting experience of visiting or working in the building
Categories
 &
Client
University of Daventry & the Building Research Establishment (BRE)
Location
Daventry, UK
Progress
Competition entry, 2007
Link
Competition website

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