CARBON REDUCTION AND NET ZERO
Study Area boundary to be confirmed Streets included in study and in the SSDRA Area
an integrated energy strategy that ensures the building’s energy systems are as efficient as possible. For this reason, CWA works closely with its sister consultancy, CWE (HEJ – April 2025), which specialises in providing energy strategies which can be tailored specifically to healthcare estates. CWE’s services were set up in order to advise healthcare institutions on: n Battery storage and microgrid systems. n Smart demand management for energy flexibility. n Ambient loop heat networks, which provide low-carbon heating to multiple buildings.
n Planning renewable energy installations, including solar arrays, electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, and microgrids.
n Energy storage and demand flexibility – by integrating architectural and energy strategies, offering all clients a comprehensive approach to reducing carbon emissions and lowering energy costs.
n Ground source heat pumps (GSHPs) offer a highly efficient, low-carbon solution for heating and cooling – especially valuable at hospitals and other healthcare facilities, where energy demand is high, and operational continuity critical. A GSHP extracts heat from the ground using buried pipework (vertical boreholes), and uses a heat exchanger to transfer that energy to a building’s heating system. Importantly for healthcare, it can also reverse this process for cooling. The six main advantages for healthcare providers are: n High Energy Efficiency. n Support of Net Zero Goals. n Stable and low-maintenance operation. n Heating and cooling in one system to maintain stable and comfortable indoor environments.
n Quiet and low-impact. n Eligibility for funding for the public sector.
For healthcare facilities, ground source heat pumps offer a resilient, efficient, and future-proof heating and cooling solution.
Church Dwellings in the SSDRA
Hospitals Auriens
As an example, CWE is currently discussing with
several NHS Foundation Trust hospitals in London how to decarbonise both their existing estate and a new 15,000 m² building on one of the Trusts’ Chelsea campus by using an ambient loop system and GSHP systems. Through the use of GSHPs, the hospital can reduce electricity costs, lower maintenance expenses, and improve its local environmental impact. Additionally, the ambient loop system will support a Community Benefit Fund, which will reinvest funds into the local area, supporting the community, and enhancing the social value of the project. CWE’s consulting engineers, Genius Energy, have already been involved in projects for several UK healthcare Trust sites, including: Cherry Knowle Hospital, Sunderland; North Middlesex Hospital, London; King’s Mill Hospital in Nottinghamshire; Papworth Hospital in Cambridge; Whipps Cross University Hospital, London, and St Catherine’s Hospital, Wirral, where similar heat pump systems have been applied.
Healthcare estates and sustainable communities The role of architects in the decarbonisation of healthcare estates extends beyond individual buildings, both new and existing. Architects are increasingly advising clients on how entire healthcare campuses and surrounding areas can be designed to be more sustainable and community-friendly. Through urban design and estate-wide masterplanning, architects help integrate healthcare facilities into broader strategies for low-carbon transport, public access, and community engagement. We recommend that our clients aim for walkable
hospital sites with low-traffic areas, enhancing green spaces, and improving connections to public transport, cycling routes, and pedestrian infrastructure. By positioning healthcare buildings as anchors for sustainability within their communities, architects can help improve public health and resilience to climate risks such as flooding and heatwaves.
September 2025 Health Estate Journal 47
Buildings not affiliated with SSDRA but also considered for this study
Plans showing the scope of the Sydney Street Heat Network in central London – a pilot project that will decarbonise a dense London area while providing more affordable energy for residents – via connections from a ground source borehole ambient loop to the heat pumps in homes and the stakeholder’s technical facility. The Royal Brompton Fulham Wing (1), Royal Marsden Hospital (2), and the Royal Brompton Hospital (3) are all shown.
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