Sustainable Buildings
Any development work at our airports is planned and carried out with careful consideration for sustainability. This includes wide-ranging stakeholder consultation, adherence with local and national planning policy and technical research into how we can best deliver social and economic development with minimal environmental damage.
Our design standards, which are followed for all new buildings and refurbishments, are regularly updated to incorporate the latest requirements for environmental efficiency. For example, we are currently developing standards to ensure that all new buildings have low emission ratings for the greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide (CO2). We aim for all new buildings to meet the equivalent of an 'excellent' BREEAM rating. BREEAM is the Building Research Establishment's environmental assessment method, a widely recognised standard for assessing the environmental performance of buildings in the UK. We are also developing a new capital planning tool to ensure that all new developments take into account the cost of CO2 emissions.
Terminal Development at Bournemouth Airport
The new terminal developments at Bournemouth represent an opportunity for us to remove old, inefficient buildings and replace them with modern, low carbon facilities. The Arrivals facility received planning permission in April 2010. Once built, the new Arrivals building will have carbon emissions at least 70% lower than conventional designs and among the lowest of all UK airport terminals. We are looking at the possibility of powering it by photovoltaic cells (solar power), which could reduce its carbon emissions to zero.
The Concorde Centre at Manchester Airport
Opened in 2009, the Concorde Centre is an environmentally sound building and a test-bed for new technologies. It comprises a hanger for a retired Concorde aircraft, a visitor centre and a café. It has solar panels to heat water in summer, while in winter biomass (a renewable plant-based energy source) is used to power a boiler for hot water and space heating.
East Midlands Airport's Departure Lounge Extension
This extension, known as 'the pier' is an energy-efficient building that it heated by 27 ground source heat pumps. These are 100 metre deep bore holes, through which fluid is pumped. When it reaches the surface, the fluid is at a comfortable temperature for ambient air and can therefore be used to heat or cool the building. This approach uses 80% less energy than conventional heating and cooling systems. Beehive-shaped 'wind catchers' have also been installed on the pier's footbridge to introduce fresh air into the building. On the roof, rainwater is harvested, which can then be used for flushing toilets. The location of the pier's gates, close to the departure lounge, also means that passengers can board aircraft without the need for buses, thus saving diesel. Together, all the pier's design efficiencies have resulted in an 80% reduction in energy consumption.
Eco-hotel at East Midlands Airport
We recently secured planning permission to build a new low-carbon hotel at East Midlands Airport. A number of innovative features are included in the design, which together will reduce CO2 emissions by 88% compared to a traditional build. These include the use of electricity generated on-site and locally sourced bio-fuel from rape seed oil.
70%
lower CO2 emissions at Bournemouth's new arrivals building