CISL retrofit
Leading the (ex)change © Soren Kristensen Entopia Building exterior
As the UK prepares to host the COP26 conference of parties to the UN Convention on Climate Change, there are some big questions the nation’s construction industry is having to address WORDS ALEX REEVE, WENDY BISHOP AND LUCY TOWNSEND
A project is now under way in Cambridge that should help provide answers to some crucial questions. Can renewable energy capacity expand fast enough to meet our heating demands? How can we limit the carbon impact from construction materials? Can we adapt our existing buildings to fulfil our needs and promote our wellbeing over the long term? The aim is to create a visionary new headquarters for the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL). It will be known as the Entopia Building and involves retrofitting a 1930s former telephone exchange at 1 Regent Street, Cambridge. As well as CISL’s Cambridge-based staff, the building will house a sustainability hub and accelerator supporting small businesses and start-ups.
Background
The overall project budget is £12.8m, made possible by a £6m donation from greentech leaders Envision Group and a £3m grant from the European Regional Development Fund, which is also funding the operation of the sustainability hub and start-up accelerator for three years. This will foster collaboration, capacity building and knowledge transfer between industry experts,
researchers, and major companies. The University has also invested its own funds in the project alongside an internal grant from its Energy and Carbon Reduction Project. The building name references the Entopia concept developed by Envision to shape a future where access to clean, secure and affordable energy is available to all.
Brief
The project intent is to be a world-leading exemplar of sustainable retrofit. This is reflected in a brief developed by CISL Fellow Professor John French, who previously led the design and build of the award-winning Enterprise Centre at the University of East Anglia, demonstrably one of the most sustainable office buildings in the UK.
Key targets include: No fossil natural gas Passivhaus standard for refurbishment (known as EnerPHit) Highest possible BREEAM environmental assessment rating of 'Outstanding' Embodied carbon at less than 300Kg CO2/ m2 over 100-year life of the building Project to form a case study for promoting the circular economy 70% of material used to be biobased Soft Landings and post-occupancy evaluation to enhance performance and provide feedback Project to be replicable Health and wellbeing to be promoted by achieving WELL Gold certification
Saving CO2 emissions embodied in the construction process
Cambridge Architecture 7
