LSA awarded 'Very Good' rating by industry watchdog
London Southend Airport’s terminal extension has been rated ‘Very Good’ under the world’s foremost environmental assessment and rating system for buildings.
When planning permission was originally granted to the airport’s owners, Stobart Group, both Southend Borough and Rochford District Councils stipulated that the new building must achieve a BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology) certificate to the equivalent of ‘Very Good’.
This has now been achieved with an overall score of 57.9%.
Launched in 2009, BREEAM is the longest-established and most widely used method of assessing, rating and certifying the sustainability of buildings. It is also used to encourage architects, builders and clients to work together to deliver low carbon and low impact designs that minimise energy demands created by the building itself, whilst maximising energy efficiency and utilising low carbon technologies.
A project’s overall BREEAM score is based on ten criteria; with categories including Land Use & Ecology, Water and Materials.
Commenting on how London Southend Airport earned its Very Good certificate, Operations Director Jason Ivey said: “We looked to introduce a number of features into the terminal extension that reflected both Councils’ wishes and those of the general public. 10% of the building’s energy is sourced by renewables. We achieve this via the (solar)PV panels on the terminal’s roof and air source heat pumps which absorb heat from the outside air and then use it to warm the interior of the building. Even if the temperature is as low as -15° C outside, these remarkable devices can create heat from natural resources. We have also constructed a cycle shelter and created a wildflower meadow to increase the biodiversity around the site and raise the overall ecological value of the airport’s perimeter.”
The Stobart Group also utilised a number of cutting edge, energy-efficient methods to boost the new terminal’s environmental credentials. These included water and energy monitoring meters, thermal modelling in the early design stages to understand how the new terminal building would perform in terms of energy consumption and carbon emissions and timber sourced in accordance with the Government’s stringent procurement policy. The build itself was conducted under the Considerate Construction Scheme
Jason added “There are a number of crucial and key factors one has to consider when embarking on a project of this nature. The building has to be people-focused, fully functional for the needs of the aircraft and aircrews and environmentally responsible. The BREEAM UK certificate says that we got it right and not only that, we did the job very well. That is testimony to our commitment to delivering on all our promises and commitments to London Southend’s customers and partners in the local area.”