Stone House Hospital Site, Dartford

Client: English Partnerships

Role: Masterplanning, Architecture, Consultation and Environmental Consultancy

Originally built as a mental institution in the 1860s, Stone House Hospital will be re-developed as the heart of the Thames Gateway Growth Area and will be sustainably refurbished as a residential-led development.

PRP was commissioned to produce a series of studies to address the environmental and sustainability issues relating to the development of this site. The studies take into account the local authority requirements and those of English Partnerships with regards to sustainable design and construction including waste management plans in operation.

The energy analysis included the estimation of building energy demands for the site, and hence prediction of carbon dioxide emissions from the buildings.

We explored how the refurbished units in the former hospital building could meet EcoHomes ‘Very Good’ standard. Additional consideration was given to energy efficiency measures to improve thermal performance of the building and to the possibility of utilising a pre-existing, but unused, communal heating system to provide space heating and hot water for these units. Besides the refurbished units, the research explored how the new-build units could achieve level 3* and 4* of the Code for Sustainable Homes by incorporating energy efficiency measures into the design and identifying renewable energy technologies to achieve the required CO₂ emission reductions. Disused rainwater collection tanks may also be re-instated to reduce potable water consumption.