My final third year project, was to design an eco hostel on Brownsea Island, a location with no source of water, gas or electricity. We were also asked to place a Studio for the BBC within the hostel. My approach was to place the hostel on the south facing side of the island, on a hillside linking the meadow above the hill to the shore below, and then orientate every room as to gain electricity from the photovoltaic panels on the roofs throughout the day. The power generated can then be stored in the two battery rooms and be used to power the studio, and when needed at night to power lighting. The building will be raised above the ground by stilts to allow for ventilation beneath the building and also to reduce the building’s influence on the ground of the site. The windows are shaded by shutters which close down to block light during the summer and still allow views out, and raised in the winter to allow light to flow into the building. A water collection sys- tem throughout the building will collect water during rain and store it in a tank at the top of the site. Hot water and heating will be provided by a solar thermal system that will heat the water to allow it to flow to the collection tank whilst passing through the underfloor heating pipes. The waste tank will be at the bottom of the site, therefore not requiring pumps.
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