The Strata 'Razor' tower: the cutting-edge of eco-construction

A woman and dog pose in front of the Strata building, also known as the Razor, in Elephant and Castle, London Photograph: Linda Nylind/Guardian Photograph: Linda Nylind/guardian.co.uk The Razor cost £113m to build and is part of a broader £1.5bn project to regenerate the Elephant and Castle area Photograph: Linda Nylind/Guardian Photograph: Linda Nylind/guardian.co.uk Wind speeds at the tower's base are not enough to make a wind turbine useful, but at 42 storeys up they are capable of 35mph gusts Photograph: Linda Nylind/Guardian Photograph: Linda Nylind/guardian.co.uk The three turbines are projected to generate 8% of the building's electricity needs Photograph: Linda Nylind/Guardian Photograph: Linda Nylind/guardian.co.uk Next week, the blades for the 9m-diameter turbines will be winched on to the roof for installation in early April. The 19kW turbines will have five blades rather than the usual three to reduce noise, and vibrations should be eliminated by a five-tonne base fitted with four anti-vibration dampeners Photograph: Linda Nylind/Guardian Photograph: Linda Nylind/guardian.co.uk Unlike a conventional turbine standing in a field, the three in the Strata tower will use the Venturi effect – think of wind being forced between two large buildings – to suck air in from many angles and accelerate it through the tubes Photograph: Linda Nylind/Guardian Photograph: Linda Nylind/guardian.co.uk As well as generating a predicted 50MWh annually, the turbines will also generate money – an estimated £16,000-£17,000 annually – through the government's feed-in-tariff, which starts on 1 April Photograph: Linda Nylind/Guardian Photograph: Linda Nylind/guardian.co.uk Under government regulations, all new buildings must be zero-carbon by 2019 Photograph: Linda Nylind/Guardian Photograph: Linda Nylind/guardian.co.uk Justin Black, director for Brookfield, the developer, said the decision to choose wind was a 'conscious decision to experiment'. He pointed out that the entire southern facade of the building would have had to be covered in solar photovoltaics to generate the same amount of energy Photograph: Linda Nylind/Guardian Photograph: Linda Nylind/guardian.co.uk Other attempts have been made to minimise the tower's environmental footprint: for example, it uses a natural ventilation system, there is no air-conditioning, and a wholly-glazed building was ruled out, in order to increase insulation and reduce noise Photograph: Linda Nylind/Guardian Photograph: Linda Nylind/guardian.co.uk