07/05/2010

blue sky designed building wins North West RICS Sustainability Award

Chadderton Wellbeing Centre in Oldham, designed by blue sky architects, has been crowned winner of the Sustainability Award at the RICS North West Awards. The results were announced at the awards ceremony in Manchester on 6th May.

The award recognises the sustainable features which have been incorporated into the building design and the resulting benefits in terms of carbon savings and reduced running costs.  Features include passive solar design, solar shading, timber frame for certain parts of the building, rainwater harvesting, dessicant de-humidification system and increased thermal insulation.

In addition to these design features, the centre includes a fully integrated innovative Green2Go generating system which is powered by a bio-fuel based 100% on waste used cooking oil and provides all the heat and power requirements for the building. Uniquely, surplus power can be exported to the National Grid, allowing even greater off-setting of emissions.

The building has achieved an A rated Energy Performance Certificate and the estimated environmental benefits of all the additional measures are a reduction in the building’s carbon emissions of at least 492,884kg per year.

As regional winner, the building will now go forward to the national awards, taking place in London in October.

Neil Charlesworth, Director of Community 1st Oldham, the building’s owners, commented: “Community 1st considers sustainability a high priority in all our developments and the innovative design and engineering features which blue sky have utilised in Chadderton Wellbeing Centre deliver considerable environmental benefits. We are delighted that this has been recognised by the RICS North West judges.”