The design for the new British Embassy in Algiers, by John McAslan + Partners architects, has been developed from the  initial planning stage with sustainability in mind. Working with engineers from UK firm Arup, and project  sponsors and managers from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) sound environmental concepts were integrated from day one, rather than being 'bolted on', in a more expensive fashion, once the building is complete.

Th design of the building was assessed by the Building Research Establishment's Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM), and will be again when it is completed.  BREEAM is perhaps more often used to assess the performance of schools and office spaces, and is regarded by the UK's construction and property sectors as the measure of best practice in environmental design and management.  The UK government has mandated its use on its estate in the UK. The FCO voluntarily decided to commission a bespoke version to be applied to its new builds and major refurbishments overseas, subject to the outcome of a pilot project being run at three of its locations abroad. The British Embassy in Algiers is one of the new builds in the pilot and was the first British Embassy to be assessed under this method.  It achieved a “very good rating” and the Design Team is aiming to achieve the top rating of 'excellent' for the completion assessment.

The BREEAM looks at a number of areas, including:

• management: policy, commissioning and procedural issues
• energy use: operational energy and carbon dioxide (CO2) issues
• health and well-being: indoor and external issues
• pollution: air and water pollution issues
• transport: transport-related CO2 and location-related factors
• land use: greenfield and brownfield sites
• ecology: ecological value conservation and enhancement of the site
• materials: implication of building materials, including life-cycle impacts
• water: consumption and water efficiency.

As well as reacting to the local conditions in Algiers, the Design Team had to respond to FCO specific requirements, which created a number of additional challenges when trying to provide an exemplar sustainable building.  A more inventive response was therefore proposed, as Project Architect Simon Goode explains:

"On the outside of the building, we have chosen durable, low maintenance materials with a low embodied CO2, such as timber, from a sustainable source, and sandstone, rather than alternative cladding materials, such as render, which would require frequent maintenance, or aluminium panels, which use a high amount of energy in their fabrication.

“On the building itself, a south facing timber screen provides shading to the internal spaces, as well as offering a degree of privacy to the users of the building and of the garden.  Vacuum tube solar collectors are used on the roof to feed the water heating for the building, as well as to provide a certain articulation to the roofscape.  This will help to reduce the long term running costs of the building.

"Similarly, inside the building, we have left the principal structure exposed, rather than applying a plaster finish, so that rather than having to rely on constant air conditioning, the building itself provides thermal mass, which in turn improves the thermal stability and comfort for the users within.  Cool air is provided at low level, and the large floor to ceiling height allows for a 'pool' of warm air to form above head height.

"Like in any office, the users of the building will spend many hours inside the building and the daylighting of the internal spaces is therefore a prime concern.  A number of simulations have been undertaken to test the design and to ensure that all of the users of the building will benefit from a good level of daylighting and a pleasant working environment.  Many of the desk spaces will benefit from views out into the garden.

"The new Embassy building is to be sited in a particularly sensitive area of Algiers and this was something that was at the forefront of our minds when we began to look in detail at the landscaping design.  Although a number of trees will have to be removed to make way for the new construction, a greater number will be planted in their place.  Our ambition is that the impact on the biodiversity in the area is negative, at a minimum.

"We hope that the new building will raise expectations as to what is achievable in terms of environmental design and prove that if embedded from the start, well-considered design need not equate to higher construction costs."