Sustainable Business magazine - essential reading for sustainability professionals
Issue link: https://fhpublishing.uberflip.com/i/137958
Green Building Saracens rugby club 2/4 Allianz Park, has met the requirements of the building Regulations 2010 Part L policy and surpassed the stringent 2011 London Plan target of an additional 25% reduction in carbon over Part L, with a 28% reduction. Achieving such accreditation has required an in-depth knowledge of the area and careful consideration of some of the consumption issues that come with any major sporting venue. Aspects such as energy efficiency, water, waste and recycling, bio-diversity and transport, have all been built into the planning phase. When scoping energy efficiency for the site, the team decided to install more than 500 photovoltaic panels on the roof of the new East stand, which will recover 50kWp (kilowatts peak), generating power to be used within the building and fed back into the grid. The floodlights and the sound system, two of the most energy-intensive areas of any sports stadium, also received significant investment to ensure consumption is minimised. Banks stresses that, because the technology has only recently been installed, exact data on energy and cost savings is still being gathered. However, both systems use There's no need to keep people 'off the grass' when it's as tough as the new Saracens' pitch new efficient technology, which also reduces lighting and noise overspill, diminishing the impact on local residents and improving the environment for the nearby Mill Hill Observatory. However, the stadium's game-changing initiative came when scoping ideas on how to reduce water usage. Irrigation was targeted as it is such a water-intensive activity, but rather than reduce water needed for irrigation, Saracens eradicated the need for it altogether. They opted to install a bespoke, entirely artificial, turf pitch, which requires no water. Ever. Banks says: "The artificial pitch will provide massive water savings simply because we don't have to water the pitch at all. It's not even like some of the