20 The ICCM Journal

A new and distinctive single chapel crematorium hasbeen designed to sit alongside the existing chapel atCrownhill Crematorium in Milton Keynes. The originalbuilding, which opened in 1982 was designed byRoger Hobbs, John Corbey & Associates. Althoughdesign work for the new facility started in September2005 the project was put on hold for sometime whilethe client, Milton Keynes Council, put considerableeffort into obtaining the necessary funding. At thattime, the key drivers of the project were to establishthe best part of the site to locate the new building,ensure that the design met the needs of the “process”involved in managing funeral services and find asuitable architectural theme or character for thebuilding that was calm, and tranquil but not pertainingto any religion in particular.

Cycloids and Sustainability

The New Crownhill Crematorium in Milton Keynes

(Existing crematorium

building)

Adrian Morrow BA (Hons), BArch (Manc), RIBA

Principal Architect, Environmental Health, Milton Keynes Council

Following an initial feasibility study that compared and contrastedsix different locations within the grounds, the site was chosen. Theexisting road and car parking systems could be extended easily,and the site offered the opportunity for the building to embrace theexisting woodland adjacent. The outline brief was for an additionalchapel to serve the anticipated increase in the number of cremationsin the UK’s fastest expanding city. It was calculated that by 2010the existing facility would not have the required capacity to cope.

Our original building brief was verysimple; it consisted of a list ofaccommodation areas that one wouldexpect to find at a new crematoriumincluding all ancillary plant, equipmentand offices. During the development ofthe design, both a Sanctuary (a smallside chapel) and a Japanese RockGarden to enhance the view from thechapel, were added. External spaceswere considered of great importanceand will include a promenade, rill andponds, the columbaria, woodland walks,a wildlife garden and the SUDS(Sustainable Urban Drainage System)waterway and related informal ponds.In keeping with our client’s desire for a

21Spring 2009

building of appropriate character, we proposed a spiritualand tranquil design comprising a combination of widespan “served spaces” in austenitic stainless steel cladcycloid form concrete roof vaults located over concretecolumns, in conjunction with small span flat roofed“servant space” elements. A cycloid is a geometrical formand it is the path taken by a point on the circumference ofa circle as it rolls along a horizontal plane.

Typically, the “served spaces” include the principal spacessuch as the chapel, the waiting area, the staffaccommodation, the porte cochere and departures area.The chapel was designed to seat 145 people, making itbigger than the existing building which seats one hundred.It is to be top lit and equipped with state of the art audiovisual facilities operated from a dedicated control room.

All new development exceeding 5 dwellings (in the case of residential development) or incorporating grossfloor space in excess of 1000 sq m (in the case of other development) will be required to include the following:

(i) Energy efficiency by siting, design, layout and buildings’ orientation to maximize sunlightingand daylighting, avoidance of overshadowing, passive ventilation;

(ii) Grouped building forms in order to minimize the external wall surface extent and exposure;

(iii) Landscape or planting design to optimise screening and individual buildings’ thermal performance;

(iv) Renewable energy production e.g. external solar collectors, wind turbines or photovoltaic devices;

(v) Sustainable urban drainage systems, including rainwater and waste water collection and recycling

(vi) Significant use of building materials that are renewable or recycled;

(vii) Waste reduction and recycling measures;

(viii) Carbon neutrality or financial contributions to a carbon offset fund to enable carbon emissionsto be offset elsewhere.

concluded over

The “servant spaces” are comprised of the smaller spaceswithin the brief such as the officiant’s room, WC’s, kitchens,kitchenettes, stores, plant rooms and so forth. This approachof “servant and served space” was inspired by the Kimball ArtMuseum in Forth Worth Texas, by the well known Americanarchitect Louis Kahn.

D4 and Sustainable Construction

After two years ‘on hold’ work resumed in late 2007, andarchitecture MK were asked to develop the design so that aplanning application could be made – then Milton KeynesCouncil introduced a sustainability policy called D4. Thefollowing is an extract from the Milton Keynes Council Websiteon Planning Policy:

SANCTUARY

WREATH COURT

The implications of this policy on this project was that the design was developed with sustainability as another key driver.

22 The ICCM Journal

Energy conservation and the minimising of energy usage have been prime considerations in the development of the design.Further to point (iv), above, it was agreed with the planners that heat recovery from the cremators would be an acceptablealternative to renewable energy by recovering the excess heat produced by the cremators to heat water which will be stored inbuffer tanks. The recovered hot water to be used to heat the building by means of both underfloor heating and radiators. A back-up gas fired condensing boiler will also be provided.

Ventilation will be by passive means.Intelligently controlled natural systems will beprovided to the principal spaces, rather thanincorporating air conditioning. TheMonodraught Windcatcher system has beenproposed. This incorporates chimneys withopenable louvres at their bases, which will beprovided on the roof of the chapel, staffaccommodation and waiting area. The louvreswill be controlled by temperature sensors withinthe interior. Temperature regulation will be aidedby the high thermal mass of the structuralconcrete vaults. Night time cooling in summerwill be achievable using the MonodraughtWindcatcher system. Lighting will be of the lowenergy LED type as far as possible. Lamps ofthis kind give off negligible heat, and haveextremely long life, in the order of 25 to 30 years,thus minimising maintenance and running costs.

MONODRAUGHT WINDCATCHER

SUDS and Landscaping

The location of the proposed new building is over the location of some existing planting.For this reason it is proposed to incorporate new planting as part of the works. The schemehas been designed in conjunction with Milton Keynes Council Landscape Architecture,and our SUDS Consultant RPS Design and is of contrasting elements. This will be of partlymanicured formal garden, and partly natural meadow and woodland. The building will becontained by the SUDS system, which is being designed to enhance the existing naturalwatercourse that runs through the site and improve the habitats of the existing wildlife;great crested newts, pictured right, (a protected species – a Natural England Licence hasbeen obtained), smooth newts, frogs, toads and grass snakes, amongst others.

Cycloids and Sustainability....

External walls:Lignacite Snowstorm Split Block

Internal walls: LignaciteSnowstorm Polished Block

Terne Coated AusteniticStainless Steel Roofing

External Paving FromRecycled Aggregates

MATERIAL PALETTE

Building materials will be Green Guide A rated as faras is reasonably achievable. With the exception of theconcrete frame and vaults, every material used withinthe building will be Green Guide “A” rated, meaningthat they are sustainable. Even though the concreteframe is not green Guide A rated, it will be as sustainableas we can possibly make it by the incorporation ofrecycled aggregates including pulverised fuel ash(PFA) and ground granulated blastfurnace slag(GGBS). Insulation U-value standards will be 20%better than Part L2 of the current Building Regulations.Full planning consent (conditional) was obtained on29th May 2008 and capital funding obtained.

23Spring 2009

The natural watercourse provides a very beneficialbase to implement a SUDS scheme. The SUDSscheme will be used to enrich the existing ecologythat has formed over the past decades. The buildingwill disrupt some ecology but, by designing specifictypes of planting, wetland and other silviculture, theoverall ecological importance of the site will beenhanced.The intention is to maintain and makeaccessible to general public view as much naturalwildlife and landscaping as possible. This will providea more natural type of space for remembrance andash scattering.

GROUND FLOOR PLAN

A JAPANESE GARDEN

A rich and diverse setting such as CrownhillCrematorium has the potential to be madeaccessible for a variety of personal reflectionchoices; very formal gardens, promenades,woodland trails, memorial walls (Columbaria)and a cross section of water features, each ata variety of scales and formalities. A seriesof descriptive notice boards will allow theusers to fully understand and appreciate thewildlife on site.

The client’s total budget at the time of writingis approximately £5.48 million. This figure isto include all fees and enabling works, suchas the ecological mitigation. The currentproject programme requires a start on site inlate summer 2009, and completion in early2011. I hope to keep you informed of ourprogress in future editions of ‘TJ’.

A RILL