Energy

ENERGY-POSITIVE CENTRE ON SCHEDULE IN PORT TALBOT

A new Welsh energy-positive technology centre is on schedule for completion by December.

The Bay Technology Centre, in Neath Port Talbot, includes sustainable features such as specialist photovoltaic panels made to look like cladding, and a ‘thermal mass’ of exposed precast floor slabs to store and transfer heat from the building.

Construction was timed to avoid disruption to local wildlife, and landscaping will include a mix of grass and wildflowers to the site.

The council-backed £7.9m three-storey office and laboratory space offers units for start-up companies, local businesses and inward investors.

Neath Port Talbot has a number of developments under way which support innovation and low carbon growth, including SPECIFIC, (an innovation and knowledge centre), the Hydrogen Research Centre, The Flexible Integrated Energy Systems Project (FLEXIS) and the TWI Technology Centre (Wales). The area has strong links with academia, and a number of established innovation research centres, specialising in hydrogen, energy systems, and other cutting-edge technologies.

A council spokesperson said: “We are close to completing a state-ofthe-art, hybrid building the design of which ties in perfectly with the council’s Decarbonisation and Renewable Energy (DARE) Strategy for a cleaner, greener future for everyone.” The initiative has been part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, Welsh Government and UK Government through the £58.7m Supporting Innovation and Low Carbon Growth Programme, part of the £1.8bn Swansea Bay City Deal regional investment project.

Construction was timed to avoid disruption to local wildlife, and landscaping will include a mix of grass and wildflowers to the site.

THE BAY TECHNOLOGY CENTRE

npt.gov.uk

MORE THAN SIMPLY FURNITURE…

Is it time to look past the furniture purchased for projects and re-visit your furniture providers? How do they support your organisation’s environmental and social targets and aspirations post-covid?

At JPA Workspaces, we are passionate about the environment and community. Our core business is the planning and refurbishment of office, hospitality, educational, and healthcare environments that cut the carbon cost of furniture works whilst optimising the wellbeing and productivity of occupants.

Our designs achieve a lower environmental impact alongside higher economic and social impacts.

Carbon Neutral Installations

JPA take a different, and perhaps surprising, approach to business, with a holistic approach to furniture supply – it’s so much more than simply the furniture provided. Every aspect of the business is aimed at reducing the carbon impact of products and services.

Local operation enables significantly reduced carbon miles associated with account management, planning and installation activities whilst also enabling provision of better service. Most clients are within an hour’s travelling time of our head office in St Albans, with key accounts based North London and Home Counties.

JPA projects, deliveries and installations are Carbon Neutral and we are also externally certified as a Carbon Reduced organisation.

Net Zero by 2030 Pledge

Read more about JPA’s public pledge to carbon zero by 2030 here: camdencca.org/climate-pledge-

signatory-jpa-workspaces-where-nothinggoes-to-waste/?signed=true

New For Old – one less headache

When specifying furniture JPA seamlessly incorporate the removal and clearance of redundant furniture ensuring nothing goes to landfill. Redundant items are re-used, disassembled for component re-use or dismantled for materials recycling.

This immediately reduces the carbon cost of the project and improves clients’ environmental performance.

Eliminating Furniture Landfill

As well as reducing the carbon cost of clients’ refurbishment and re-location works, JPA have also eliminated their furniture landfill.

They make sure that every item of redundant furniture and packaging from completed works is recycled for materials recovery. NOTHING goes to landfill which is really important due to its really nasty impacts.

To date JPA have recycled over 25,104 unwanted furniture items, eliminating over 584 landfill tonnes and 788 tonnes co2e.

Sustainable Projects

Our latest completed Carbon Neutral installation is at Rothamsted Research with the launch of the refurbished Russell Building. Not only has this included the planning and supply of new furniture but additionally the inclusion of second life furniture seamlessly into design –you would never know.

Project work is also sustainable in terms of total lifecycle approach, soft landings programmes and development of long-term meaningful relationships with clients. We seek to add value through ongoing site support and services long after the furniture has been installed.

Resource Maximisation – a More Circular Approach

JPA identify existing furniture items that could be incorporated into new designs before specifying new. Our fully trained fitting teams can dismantle and reconfigure existing furniture, replacing damaged parts and topping up with new as needed for updated designs and layouts.

By offering a full range of repair, refresh, reupholstery and reconfiguration services we ensure that clients’ furniture is kept in optimal condition for longer, maximising original investment.

Waste audits are completed to make sure that we can rehome any still-fit-for-task redundant furniture items with local community and charitable organisations. This provides a valuable community service and meaningful local integration whilst also reducing landfill and waste – a double win.

To date, JPA have re-homed over 4490 redundant furniture items in local organisations enabling valuable funds to be spent elsewhere.

Zero Single Use Plastic Packaging

JPA remove all product packaging from site installations and ensure that it is either re-used or recycled. Nothing goes to landfill. Additionally, we ensure that any packaging bags and blankets we buy are manufactured from recycled materials and then themselves re-used many times.

Furniture Industry Sustainability Programme - FISP

JPA have been certified FISP members since 2012. Created in 2006 FISP is recognised as the benchmark for sustainable practices in the UK furniture industry and widely referenced by procurement teams and furniture specifiers as a key part of an organisation’s sustainable procurement policy.

FISP has rapidly become established as the furniture industry forum on all environmental and sustainability issues. These issues relate to all aspects of the industry’s business from purchasing and procurement right through to end of product life, including social, ethical and employment concerns as well as waste, energy and emissions.

Is your furniture dealer FISP certified?

It’s time for organisations to make more informed decisions about the carbon and waste costs of their refurbishment works.

Visit our website to read more about our sustainability practices and feel free to get in touch if your organisation would like to reduce the carbon cost of your furniture related refurbishment works – we’d love to hear from you.

FIONA EDWARDS

HEAD OF SUSTAINABILITY

f.edwards@jpa-workspaces.com jpa-workspaces.com

GLOBAL FUNDING POURS INTO UK NATIONAL PARKS

With COP26 just around the corner, the UK’s National Parks and global impact firm Palladium have announced a number of pioneering deals for nature restoration projects in the UK, under the name Revere.