The Phoenix Lab

A wave of timber and glass swells out of an old brownfield site. Four horns poke free from the crest, reaching out into the wind. A canopy of photovoltaics capture energy from sunlight. It is, of course, the Carbon Neutral Laboratories on Jubilee Campus’ Innovation Park. Officially opened in early 2017, the CNL cost £27 million funded primarily by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and the High Education Funding Council for England. Additional funds were provided by the Wolfson Foundation and the University of Nottingham.

Traditionally, chemistry is an energy and resource intensive discipline: fume cupboards continuously refresh vast volumes of air, water keeps experiments cool, solvent waste is destroyed by incineration, entire labs are maintained at a precise temperature with air conditioning and heating systems. “Every millimetre of the CNL is an experiment in radical change”

The energy requirements are met by a biomass-fuelled combined heat and power unit and an expansive array of photovoltaics. These are translucent, to allow natural light to flood into a communal space known as the Winter Garden. This space is used as a social and outreach space to showcase sustainable science.

“Misfortune is not the end, but an opportunity to learn and go again”

And all this is done in buildings primarily constructed using steel and concrete—amongst the most energy intensive materials out there. With the Climate Emergency rapidly approaching a tipping point, we cannot continue to do science in this way.

A radical change is needed.

Every millimetre of the CNL is an experiment in radical change. The primary building material used is from around 100 sustainably managed alpine spruce trees. The north-face is coated with wildflowers and grasses, allowing the biodiversity of the area to flourish. The only interruptions to the striking undulation are four horns, which gives the building the appearance of a rack of ribs from some angles. These aren’t there for aesthetics. They capture and direct wind to naturally ventilate the laboratory spaces and fume cupboards.

The power consumption for the labs in the CNL are 55% lower than the average modern chemistry lab and haveheating requirements 75% lower (Chemistry World, March 2017). In part, this is due to technology used in both the construction and operation of the building. Of course, any discussion of the CNL can’t avoid the ironic elephant in the room: that the incomplete timber frame burnt down in 2014. The university still aims for the building to be carbon-neutral within 25 years. It certainly doesn’t shy away from the fire, either. Fragments of the destroyed building are housed as art in display boxes, a series of graphite sketches depict a phoenix rising from the ashes. Misfortune is not the end, but an opportunity to learn and go again. Sustainable science is about more than the building it is done in. It is about a change in attitudes and working styles. I am lucky enough to work in the building. The vast lab spaces are designed with collaboration at their core and shared by multiple research groups. Science is not a thing done by lone scientists in dingy basement labs. The CNL changes that perception. Science is something to be shared, open and rooted in sustainability.

Matthew Bird Graphic & Page Design by Natasha Phang-Lee

Global Warming – the Staple of 2019 Youth SCIENCE 39

In our energy-hungry world, global warming and climate change are issues growing more and more urgent everyday. They require change above investing in a trendy reusable Starbucks cup. Truthfully, to see a real impact, governmental change is essential – however, this is not happening. Where it scarcely is happening, it is still not addressed with anywhere near the urgency it deserves, and needs. With a recent rise in veganism and a huge drop in single use plastic, efforts have been somewhat evident from the public to reduce emissions that contribute to global warming and waste production. Yet, this effort is not reciprocated on a larger scale. Greta Thumburg, a 16-year-old child, is evoking more change than governmental corporations are. “Greta Thumburg, a 16-year-old child, is evoking more change than governmental corporations are”

On a positive note, Greta is just a microcosm for the recent explosion of youths campaigning and demanding for governmental change in order to prevent irreversible climate change damage. There have been hundreds of thousands of pickets globally urging more urgency on the issue. To say the effect of global warming on the environment is detrimental is an understatement. Current Sky News data suggests that we need to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions in developed countries by at least 80% by 2050 in order to have a chance of staying below an average temperature rise of over 2ºC .If the world temperature rises by two degrees, mountain glaciers and rivers will start to disappear and mountainous regions will see more landslides, as the permafrost that held them together melts away. By 2100, sea levels could rise by a metre, displacing 10% of the world’s population.

Despite ignorance, the government can play a huge part in introducing policies that encourage cleaner energy like solar and wind. Due to this lack of larger scale change, it’s up to us, the public, to do what we can to reduce the impact of global warming and climate change. The world’s bane of toxic emissions is the meat and dairy industry – the United Nations released a statement saying that ‘livestock farming accounts for around 14.5 percent of our global greenhouse gas emissions – more than the global transport sector’ (United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (2006)).

Although former Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn proposed a ‘green revolution’ if elected, it can be hard to trust any promises made by political leaders as of late. However, at least Corbyn is addressing the issue. Boris Johnson did not even bother turning up to the climate change discussion held in the run up to the general election of the 12th December. Take of that what you wish.