“Good design with a sustainable building. Waste on site managed well by the site team.”

Richard Wilson, Programme Director, The Welsh Assembly Government commenting on his experience of Carillion during recent construction.

 

 

 

Our team working on the new Botanical Gardens in Oman sought out local companies to reuse or recycle construction waste

 

 

The Carillion team working on Bristol’s Southmead Hospital are determined to build the UK’s most sustainable hospital

 

 

The Stoke Local Service Centre’s CO2 emissions rate is 62% lower than that required by law

Design

By designing for sustainability, we can reduce carbon emissions and other environmental impacts long after our work is done.

One of the most significant ways in which Carillion can contribute to sustainability is to design our projects to be safe and environmentally sound throughout their life cycles. We consider every stage: location, orientation, structure, systems, construction, use and eventual demolition.

Designing with all these stages in mind is a complex process. For example, we:

• > measure the carbon footprint of our designs and look for energy-efficiency opportunities
• > make use of passive heating from the sun and incorporate photovoltaic cells to generate solar energy where appropriate
• > aim to source sustainable materials wherever possible
• > include design features that support biodiversity in some urban buildings
• > incorporate health and safety considerations at every stage in the life cycle of every project
• > consider decommissioning issues from the outset
• > apply BREEAM (the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method), CEEQUAL (the Civil Engineering Environmental Quality Assessment and Award Scheme) or LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) criteria to our designs.

BREEAM, LEED and CEEQUAL are methods for assessing the design and construction or refurbishment of buildings and civil engineering projects against environmental criteria. We use BREEAM extensively in Carillion and our commitment to it has helped us win work. We commit wherever possible to achieving ‘excellent’ BREEAM ratings on new build projects and ‘very good’ BREEAM ratings on refurbishments. To meet these commitments our designers typically need to consider issues such as:

• > achieving CO2 emission levels 60% below those of standard buildings
• > making use of natural daylight
• > in the case of schools, consulting with police and security advisors to ensure children are kept safe
• > designing in bicycle storage areas or other measures to encourage greener travel options.

Our MENA operations have seen a sharp increase in the number of clients asking for sustainability measures to be incorporated in their proposals. These requirements range from specific environmental management controls to established benchmarking systems including LEED and client-specific systems. Each Emirate is developing its own benchmarking system, such as Abu Dhabi’s Estidama Pearl Rating System, or basic planning requirements, including green roofs, water-saving measures and community recycling schemes. We are responding by using LEED on four projects and, on others, meeting specific environmental management criteria as requested by our clients.

In practice

Below are just a few examples of how environmental considerations have been incorporated into the designs of our projects in 2009.

In Oman, our team working on the new Botanical Gardens sought out local companies to reuse or recycle construction waste, in the absence of municipal services. These included a charcoal factory that processed any waste timber that could not be reused. Our commitment to waste management is one of the factors that will contribute towards the project’s aim to achieve a LEED ‘Gold’ rating due to be verified in 2010.

The Carillion team working on Bristol’s Southmead Hospital are determined to build the UK’s most sustainable hospital. Recovering waste heat from the ventilation systems will reduce the energy required for heating. A large number of recycling facilities will be provided both inside the building and in its grounds. Existing trees on the site are being protected wherever possible and a further 1,000 trees will be planted. We are also supporting the local community by hiring 85% of the project’s construction workers from the area as well as recruiting 200 local apprentices and training them on site.

The office development Carillion built at 150 Cheapside, London, was awarded an ‘excellent’ BREEAM rating. Its roof was covered in soil and planted with sedum, providing a habitat for insects and thus attracting birds. Bat and bird nesting boxes were installed at roof level and photovoltaic panels are used to meet a portion of the building’s energy needs.

The Stoke Local Service Centre houses a library and other community services. Despite a tight budget, the Carillion team was able to incorporate passive ventilation to avoid the need for air conditioning; a system for harvesting rainwater to flush toilets with, thus reducing mains water consumption; and low-energy light fittings among many other environmental measures.

At Queen Elizabeth’s School in Wimborne, Dorset, the new Sustainability Education Centre lives up to its name: not only is the Centre used to teach children about sustainability issues, the Carillion team that built it incorporated a host of environmental features into its design. The building’s frame is constructed from locally sourced timber and walls have been insulated with a combination of straw bales and recycled newspapers. In the roof space, insulation comes in the form of sheep’s wool, while photovoltaic panels and automatic lighting systems reduce energy consumption. All these measures resulted in the Centre winning the Environmental Building category in the Education Business Awards 2009.