23rd March 2006

First Earth Ducts Laid at Butterfield Luton

The first earth ducts have been laid at Easter's environmentally-responsible Butterfield business and technology park in Luton.

Butterfield's Village will boast the first office buildings in the UK to incorporate the innovative ventilation system using earth ducts, which will reduce energy consumption by up to 75%, regulate air temperature and guarantee excellent air quality.

Fresh air will be drawn through earth ducts below the ground, effectively using the earth as a source of heat in winter and of cooling in summer. The fresh air will be supplied into the buildings via a pressurised floor plenum. The enhanced ventilation system will provide a pleasant and comfortable internal environment to the business units, without the need for air conditioning.

Each earth duct is a minimum of 85 metres in length, has a diameter of 900mm and is being laid one metre below ground level where the temperature remains fairly constant. Altogether 13 earth ducts will feed into the five buildings that comprise the first phase of construction at The Village at Butterfield.

The Village will provide high quality offices ranging in size from 1,616 sq ft to 12,637 sq ft with a central facilities building at the heart of the park, providing on-site management services. Easter is striving to achieve a BREEAM "Excellent" standard for the buildings in Butterfield's Village as well as an "A" rating under the new European Energy Performance of Buildings Directive.