The Green Microgym generates 36 per cent of its own energy, including capturing human energy via its CV kit
It’s important to pay attention to the cost of a building, not only on day one but over its whole lifetime
they re-use heat that’s created as a by-product of cooling and refrigeration – and health clubs could easily follow this example. Air-conditioning units for gyms are often located externally on a building, blowing out warm air from heat exchangers. This wasted warm air could instead be used to pre-heat incoming fresh air for swimming pools. Supermarkets provide a good
example of building efficiency. They are now highly efficient, airtight buildings, with their warm and cool environments very well controlled. Leisure facilities, which have hot and cold, wet and dry areas, should be looking to control these environments efficiently too.
How can new facilities be made green, and still be cost-effective? Building green need not cost more or involve buying lots of unfamiliar technology, as a lot can be done through good design. We’re working on projects that are constructed using dense materials like concrete, for example, which can help to keep a building warm in winter and cool in summer.
september 2011 © cybertrek 2011
What single energy innovation do you feel the sector should be thinking about now? There are some exciting energy- saving technologies that can now be incorporated into new and existing buildings. Take the new Houghton-Le- Spring Primary Care and Leisure Centre in Sunderland, for example, which we’re currently working on. From inception, the aim of this project was to reduce running costs and be more efficient with energy usage. It includes a host of clever technology now on the market, including 350sq m of PV (photo voltaic) panels – the panels on roofs used to create energy from sunlight – as well as 12.5sq m of solar thermal panels to heat water, an 18m-high wind turbine and three ground source heat pumps. The really smart element is the
ventilation, which comes from a metre-wide ‘thermal wall’ designed by Cambridge firm Breathing Buildings. Divided into 39 separate chimneys with a concrete plenum at its base, it allows for cooling air from the thermal wall to be gradually released throughout
How a small US gym grabbed global attention by going green A small gym in Portland, Oregon, US – The Green Microgym –captured international media attention three years ago because of its focus on sustainability – and specifically its move to capture the power generated by members who were working out on adapted bicycles and cross-trainers. One of a growing number of gyms in
the US to market itself on its sustainability credentials, its environmental strategy has included investing in: Energy-producing cardio equipment
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– the company buys its equipment from Seattle-based PlugOut Treadmills that use 30 per cent less
electricity than standard models Slightly used equipment
LCD TVs instead of plasma screens –
plasma screens use more energy Member-controlled lights,
televisions and fans, rather than ‘always on’ equipment Refi llable bottles – the company only
sells refi llable bottles, not bottled water Eco-friendly building materials such
as recycled rubber fl ooring Solar panels
Energy-effi cient ceiling fans Compact fl uorescent lighting
Read Health Club Management online at
healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital 45
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