Designed and delivered by Brock Carmichael Architects, the £8.4m decarbonisation scheme perfectly illustrates how existing buildings can be made energy-efficient and contribute to the UK’s goal of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050, without the need to ‘start from scratch’.
As one of the world’s largest industries and contributors to carbon emissions, construction has a lot of work to do. In both operation and construction, buildings account for a whopping 39% of global energy-related carbon emissions carbon emissions; concrete alone contributes 8% of emissions worldwide.
With these statistics looming, attentions in the industry have turned to how best to tackle the task of decarbonisation. There is increasing debate in favour of ‘smart-retrofitting’ over demolishing buildings and starting again; 80% of today’s buildings are expected to still be in use by 2050, yet 75% of this stock is currently energy inefficient, making this issue a priority.
At the North West Regional Construction Awards, the site in Rochdale was recognised for the “creation of value in existing facilities through tangible carbon reduction”, providing “an excellent example of how feasibility, design, procurement, delivery and funding can align to give the client the required value outcomes from a key strategic investment and programme”.
This latest project, in Brock Carmichael’s growing portfolio of decarbonisation work, is being delivered in partnership with energy and regeneration specialist, Equans, as part of the £78m awarded to Greater Manchester Combined Authority by the Government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme to improve the carbon efficiency of public assets.
For this particular project, improvements include:
– Installation of air-, ground-, and water-source heat pumps
– Replacement of single-glazed, timber framed windows with double-glazing and aluminium framing
– Installation of loft insulation
The 9 public buildings benefitting from the retrofit scheme are: Alkrington Primary School; Castleton Primary School; Fashion Corner; Rochdale Leisure Centre; Middleton Arena; Number One Riverside; the council’s Green Lane depot; Lowerplace Primary School; Shawclough Primary School; and St. Luke’s Primary School.
You can find out more about the award here: http://www.constructionawardsnw.co.uk/winners.php
