HIN questions

STRUCTURES: Why use piled foundation walls?

• They carry building loads down to stronger ground (suggestion)

• They double as the heat exchanger for ground-source heating

• This gives one element two jobs, which saves material and cost

STRUCTURES: How do you keep the structure's embodied carbon low?

• Reuse existing materials and use recycled and local materials

• Keep the existing road network instead of building new roads

• Carbon would be quantified with an embodied-carbon calculation in the final report

STRUCTURES: Why are the tall residential blocks in the south?

• Tall buildings in the west would overlook and overshadow existing homes
• The south is close to the parking provision and existing routes
• This protects privacy and sunlight for the current community

STRUCTURES: Why are the care buildings designed as cabins?

• The masterplan splits care into High Care Cabins and Retirement Cabins
• Flexible care means support adapts as needs change without a resident having to move
• Low-rise buildings suit step-free, level-threshold access (suggestion)

GEOTECHNICS: What are the ground conditions and how do they affect the design?

• The soil is mostly clay
• Clay drains slowly, so we chose an online attenuation system
• Permeable paving mainly stores water and releases it at a controlled rate (suggestion)

GEOTECHNICS: Is it safe to use the existing mineshafts?

• They are used to reach latent ground heat for cost-effective heating
• A full ground investigation would be done first (suggestion)
• Stability and ground-gas risks would be assessed before use (suggestion)

GEOTECHNICS: What are the risks of building on a former hospital site?

• Possible contamination or old foundations would be found by site investigation (suggestion)
• Existing materials can be reused where suitable
• The site's history is respected and used as heritage cues

GEOTECHNICS: How does clay affect your foundations?

• Clay can shrink, swell and settle, so piled foundations are a sensible choice (suggestion)
• Piles carry load past weaker upper layers (suggestion)
• Detailed design would follow ground investigation data

ENVIRONMENTAL: How is the scheme moving towards net zero?

• For operational carbon use LED lighting, energy-efficient design and renewables e.g. solar panels
• For embodied carbon, we use existing materials, recycled and local materials
• Keep the existing road network instead of building new roads

ENVIRONMENTAL: Why should we believe the net-zero claim?

• We use the Environment Agency's Net Zero by 2030 commitment as our benchmark
• We address it at every stage of the life cycle assessment
• Would quantify it properly in the final report with an embodied-carbon calculation

ENVIRONMENTAL: How do green features benefit residents as well as the environment?

• Planting is designed to be used with sensory planting and sheltered seating
• Tree lined routes connect residents to nature every day
• Dementia village is a car free square, enclosed by trees which improves air quality and gives a greener outlook

ENVIRONMENTAL: Is ground source heat realistic, and what does it cost?

• We use piled foundation walls and existing mineshafts to reach latent ground heat
• Upfront costs are high but running costs are lower so it evens out over the long term
• Heat exchange and water treatment sit in the same Heat and Water Hub, working as one combined system

TRANSPORT: How does travel reduce emissions?

• Cycle and pedestrian routes follow LTN 1/20
• Mobility hub sits next to the shuttle route, close to the dementia village, the BTR homes and residential buildings
• Makes the shuttle a low effort daily option as opposed to the car

TRANSPORT: How is the site accessible to elderly and blind users?

• Level thresholds, no steps on main routes and gentle gradients
• Tactile paving and high-contrast benches and public realm features
• Clear routes and a dementia-friendly colour scheme using red brick

TRANSPORT: Why keep the existing road network?

• New roads carry a lot of embodied carbon, so keeping them avoids it
• Less new construction means less disruption for neighbours (suggestion)
• Cycle and pedestrian routes can be added along the existing network

TRANSPORT: How do residents get to Newcastle Helix and the wider city?

• A shuttle bus route links the site to Newcastle Helix
• The mobility hub sits next to that route
• Shuttle buses also run around the residential and research areas

TRANSPORT: Why is the dementia village pedestrian-only?

• Removing vehicles makes it safer and calmer for residents
• Trees enclosing the square improve air quality
• It gives a greener, more soothing outlook

WATER: Why attenuation tanks, and why an online system?

• Tanks store stormwater in heavy rain and release it slowly through a flow control device at a greenfield rate
• The soil is mostly clay, so we route the whole flow through the tank
• Offline systems only fill when flows exceed pipe capacity, so they are less reliable on clay

WATER: How does permeable paving work?

• Rain passes through a porous surface into a stone sub-base that acts as a temporary reservoir
• A geotextile layer traps sediment
• It reduces surface runoff and helps prevent local flooding

WATER: How does the scheme reuse water?

• Roof rainwater and paving runoff are collected in a tank under the research hub
• The water is used for toilet flushing and irrigation
• Reverse osmosis reject water is also used for irrigation

WATER: Tell us about the reverse osmosis units

• They produce drinking water from aquifers with a 75-85% recovery rate
• Waste water is reused for irrigation
• They sit in the Heat and Water Hub with the ground-source heat system

WATER: How does the scheme manage flood risk?

• Retention ponds sit in the highest flood-risk areas
• Attenuation tanks and permeable paving control runoff
• The surrounding neighbourhood is protected as well as the new development

WATER: Is the drinking water supply from aquifers realistic?

• The aquifer source and quality would need to be confirmed by testing (suggestion)
• UV filtration and other treatment can be added
• It has a high upfront cost but lower running costs and less reliance on mains wate