An innovative low carbon heating system – designed by Max Fordham and centred on water source heat pumps and an electric steam boiler — now powers a collection of Victorian steam engines at the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester. Andy Pearson reports
Category: Case Studies
Holy electric: Lambeth Palace’s £40m net zero retrofit
Balancing history and innovation, the £40m retrofit of Lambeth Palace demonstrates how a holistic approach can secure a low carbon future for historic estates. Andy Pearson reports
Engineering for extremes: designing low-energy buildings
A college project in Niger, featuring local stone and passive ventilation, aims to change the perception of low-energy buildings in extreme climates. Molly Tooher-Rudd speaks to the project team Max Fordham and Article 25
‘Walking the talk’: building performance at 20 Fenchurch Street
At 20 Fenchurch Street, collaborative, data-led interventions have improved building performance dramatically. Andy Pearson looks at how proactive facilities management and occupier engagement have reaped huge energy savings
Boxing clever: sustainability at the Cathedral Hill Industrial Estate
Sustainability is often seen as a cost, but at Cathedral Hill Industrial Estate it’s become the key to a 220% rental uplift and a CIBSE award-winning retrofit. Andy Pearson reports
Double act: developing digital twins at the University of Liverpool
Too often discarded after planning approval, design models can power advanced digital twins that cut energy use, carbon emissions and costs. Alex Smith looks at a pioneering IES project that has created a powerful engine for operational efficiency
How NABERS UK helped deliver a winning office design
CIBSE Building Performance Award winner Globe Point, in Leeds, is using the NABERS UK standard to ensure that its carbon-busting office design is realised post-occupancy. Andy Pearson speaks to Hoare Lea’s Philip Mannis about the design and assessment tool
A new chapter on solar heat at the British Library
The British Library’s ambitious decarbonisation strategy starts with energy reduction at its Grade I-listed archive in King’s Cross. Alex Smith looks at a solar heating and power project that generated more than 200MWh of renewable energy in 12 months
Dancing on air: designing Sadler’s Wells East
In contemporary dance performance, attention to detail is everything – nothing should break the connection between the dancer and the audience, including the background hum of heating and cooling systems. Andy Pearson looks at how Buro Happold met the exacting acoustic requirements at Sadler’s Wells East
Tapping into efficiency: Passivhaus school’s point-of-use water heaters
At the Passivhaus-accredited Riverside Primary School in Perth, Scotland, the selection of point-of-use water heaters played a key role in driving down energy use. Baxi’s Andy Green explains how the optimal solution was realised