GREEN ISSUES FEATURE
the construction sector, for instance, the aim is to achieve its zero carbon standard in all new non-domestic buildings built from 2019, which has led to increasingly stringent building regulations to ensure sustainable design and construction. While these energy performance requirements do not all, necessarily, cover car parking facilities, they are increasingly informing the design and construction process in the sector, particularly with larger facilities constructed as part of retail or leisure complexes, or for public sector clients such as health authorities. And the most cost-effective way of implementing energy-saving, low carbon solutions is to integrate them into the design and construction of new facilities. ‘A new car park will generally present the best opportunity for introducing new energy saving measures, because the infrastructure for equipment such as wind turbines and PV panels can be introduced at the design stage,’ says Phillip Herring, managing director of VINCI Park UK. However, he continues: ‘Energy saving methods are scalable – down to the smallest car parks – and can be applied to existing car parks as well as new facilities.’
energy efficient. Lighting, for example, is one of the biggest energy users in a car park building, so as well as having environmental benefits, introducing energy efficient systems – either in a new build or through a retro-fit upgrade – can have a huge impact on running costs.’ In its latest annual master plan for parking, the BPA has highlighted the promotion of innovation, technology and sustainability as the way to develop, challenge and move the profession forward.
Challenging targets
In the UK, the government has set challenging carbon reduction targets, aimed at reducing overall emissions by 80 per cent by 2050, based on 1990 levels, and by 50 per cent by 2027. In
Going green can have a sizeable impact on the bottom line
Renewable energy Across the parking profession, innovative green solutions are being implemented on both new-build car parks and refurbishments. Solar photovoltaic (PV) panels and wind turbines are being installed on the roofs of car parks by some operators, providing a renewable energy source for facilities. VINCI Park UK, for example, installed a variety of sustainable measures for its design, build, finance and operate (DBFO) contract at the East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust’s award-winning £7.9m, 667-space Lister Hospital multi-storey car park. The development, which opened in September 2011, recently won a Health Business Award. It was constructed using sustainable materials and with features – such as a silent wind turbine and solar PV panels – that generate 10 per cent of its
www.britishparking.co.uk
JUNE 2013
25
GIORDANO AITA / SHUTTERSTOCK
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48