Built environment
See our environmentally friendly building projects.
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Horizon 120
We are creating something special at Horizon 120. Designed to be a modern, green and future-proofed business and innovation park that will grow our economy, support local people, and be at the forefront of new green and sustainable approaches.
I-Construct
We are proud of the BREEAM excellent standard I-Construct building. It is an example of how we’re leading the way when it comes to the sustainable design of buildings.
Find out about the building design and the team based at the hub who are helping members to make construction more sustainable.
Businesses can visit the I-Construct website to find out more.
The Haven Gateway Partnership manages I-Construct and is in receipt of funds from the European Regional Development Fund.
Horizon Park flood prevention
Horizon Park, just off the A131 by Great Notley, is more than a picturesque sanctuary: it has been painstakingly crafted to benefit wildlife and help prevent localised flooding. Braintree District Council installed the flood prevention measures to deal with surface run-off from the new roads and footpaths when we built the Horizon 120 business park next door.
A central feature of these measures is the attenuation lake (pictured). As well as looking beautiful, the lake serves an important environmental purpose. It lessens the impact of heavy rainfall or flooding, by storing excess water temporarily, releasing it slowly back into surrounding watercourses or sewers in volumes that they can accommodate.
Planted swales - shallow drainage channels - run alongside footpaths and gullies. These also collect water runoff from the roads, filtering out pollutants and channelling it to the lake.
Together these features make up the sustainable drainage system (SuDS), which describes a system that helps to manage the risk of flooding by controlling surface water runoff in a way that imitates natural processes.
In addition to the flood prevention measures, the park provides an oasis for all kinds of life to thrive. We chose plants and trees specifically for their contribution to biodiversity and provide a habitat for animals, such as deer, badgers, rabbits, beetles, newts, and birds, as well as all kinds of insects. A flowering meadow feeds important pollinators like bees, butterflies and moths. Green corridors give wildlife a safe way to move about the park, avoiding predators.
Energy efficiency measures at Braintree Town Hall
Our Grade II listed Town Hall in Braintree is beautiful, but it was built in a time before energy efficiency was a consideration! We have taken several measures to bring the building up to date, reducing our energy bills and contributing to the council’s carbon reduction aims.
- We swapped our old lighting for low energy, LED lighting
- We installed secondary glazing to 16 windows, using oak frames to complement the historic building, which improved the energy efficiency and also reduced the traffic noise from the busy town centre location.
- We replaced the old gas boiler with an A-rated high efficiency condensing boiler.
