Joules Island

Value: Priceless

Location: Off the UK coast

Client: BCO

Architect: EPR

The British Council of Offices (BCO) invited teams to enter into a competition for designing the workplace of the future. We teamed up with EPR architects and DSA services engineers to produce Joules Island. Our submission won through the first round and after a competitive interview in London we made the final 2 and were selected to present our design at the BCO Conference in Geneva.

The structural concept for the building included a number of interesting possibilities: we proposed using a concrete shell roof, one cast on inflatable formwork; the first floor used carbon fibre reinforced timber beams to support a concrete slab, to give thermal mass; and we used rock filled gabions to give a literal Cool Wall.