Sustainability Report

Embodied carbon overview

• The design adopts a fabric-first approach, prioritising orientation, material efficiency, and passive performance over reliance on high-tech or energy-intensive systems.
• The main cladding material is Thermopine® (thermally modified Scandinavian Scots Pine). This choice offers greater durability, stability, and a reduced environmental impact. Thermopine® is PEFC certified and carries an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD). 
• No formal embodied carbon assessment (LCA) was completed for the centre. However, through keeping the building lightweight and compact, and using a restrained material palette, the project was able to limit embodied carbon by design.

Operational emissions overview

• The building is gas-free. Heating is provided by a small number of electric radiators; hot water comes via point-of-use electric heaters. This avoids fossil fuel combustion, contributing to low emissions in use.
• The building’s orientation, natural ventilation (via clerestory rooflights), passive cooling, and daylighting (including sun tunnels) reduce reliance on heating, cooling, and artificial lighting. These strategies keep operational energy demand very low.
• Natural daylight is available for much of the day and ventilation is largely passive, further reducing energy use and emissions from mechanical or electrical systems.