St. Raphael’s Health & Wellbeing Centre | Adam Richards Architects | Media - Sustainability

Low Carbon

Carbon Emissions

657

kg CO₂-eq./m²

Sustainability information provided by Adam Richards of Adam Richards Architects.

Embodied carbon overview

The building uses a cross-laminated timber (CLT) structure supplied by KLH Massivholz, forming the primary structural frame and helping to create the warm, tactile interior character of the centre. The CLT is deliberately left exposed where possible, both to express the building’s construction and to reduce the need for additional internal finishes. This was important environmentally, but also atmospherically: timber gives the healthcare spaces a domestic, reassuring quality, avoiding the institutional feeling often associated with clinical buildings.
The CLT structure supports lifecycle value. It reduces embodied carbon compared with more conventional structural approaches, stores biogenic carbon, and is expressed internally to avoid unnecessary applied finishes.
The external walls use Polycor limestone bricks, laid in lime mortar. St Raphael’s is the first completed building to use these stone bricks in combination with a CLT structure. The stone bricks are a new product from Polycor — Adam Richards Architects worked closely with the manufacturer to develop a specific set of brick lengths for the design.
Natural, non-hazardous materials, including wood, limestone, and lime mortar, reduce environmental impact while supporting a warmer and more reassuring atmosphere.

Embodied and whole-life carbon

Low Carbon

Operational emissions overview

The building is all-electric, with heating and hot water provided by air-source heat pumps. It uses mechanical ventilation with heat recovery to support efficient operation and good internal comfort.
The building achieves an EPC A rating. Predicted energy use is 81 kWh/m²/year, while actual measured energy use is 82.46 kWh/m²/year, indicating that the operational strategy is performing very close to design intent.
The building has an airtightness result of 2.97 m³/h.m² @ 50 Pa.
Annual mains water consumption is 8.2125 m³/occupant/year.
The glazing strategy balances daylight, views, and solar gain, while solar shading contributes to comfort and energy reduction.
Connection to nature is central. Counselling and treatment rooms overlook a secluded ‘secret garden’, giving pupils access to light, air, planting, and privacy. The cloister-like corridor and courtyard create a gradual transition from the intensity of school life into a quieter and more protected environment.

Adaptive Reuse and Flexible Design Considerations

Longevity and lifecycle thinking were fundamental to the design. The school’s previous infirmary was in use for over 100 years and St Raphael’s was designed to do the same: its material strategy was developed around durability, low maintenance, and future circularity.
Adaptability is also spatial. The single-storey plan is clear, accessible, and legible, with generous circulation, reception space, counselling rooms, treatment rooms, an isolation room, dormitory accommodation, and a central kitchen that can support both informal teaching and pastoral care. This mix of spaces allows the building to respond to changing patterns of health, wellbeing, and educational need, while its prominent position on a former brownfield part of the campus gives lasting civic and strategic value to the school.

Disassemblable Elements for Circular Economy

The limestone brick external wall provides a robust, long-life envelope, while the use of lime mortar means the bricks can potentially be dismantled, cleaned, and reused if the building is altered or disassembled in the future.
The CLT structure can be disassembled and reused, or downcycled into products such as chipboard or MDF if direct reuse is not possible.
The roof is zinc, selected for durability and recyclability, as zinc can be recycled without degrading its material properties. Similarly, the windows are by Schüco, with aluminium frames selected for longevity and recyclability. Copper and steel pipework were chosen for long life and future recyclability. The floor is natural rubber.
Careful acoustic detailing was required, particularly between counselling and treatment rooms. Wood-fibre acoustic ceiling panels and felt wall linings were used to ensure privacy, with the ceiling panels selected as reusable and recyclable internal materials.

Sustainability Report