Back
Market leading national lifting solutions company, Ainscough Crane Hire, has played a key role in the delivery of the UK’s first carbon neutral laboratory.
Working at the project which has been delivered by main contractor, construction and infrastructure company Morgan Sindall, Ainscough’s role in the £15.8 million project to construct the GlaxoSmithKline Carbon Neutral Laboratory of Sustainable Chemistry for The University of Nottingham, has been captured in a time-lapse film.
In the film, Ainscough’s cranes, Liebherr models LTM 1070, LTM 1090 and LTM 1150, can all be clearly seen operating on the site which condenses the full construction programme into two and half minutes. http://bit.ly/2aXyb58
Along with lifting the main glulam structural beans into position, Ainscough, which was contracted to Robru Ltd, lifted the buildings four distinctive ventilation ‘horns’ into place.
The facility, which will serve as a hub to catalyse new collaborations with industry, will be unique in the UK not only in its design but also in its focus on cutting-edge research activity in sustainable chemistry.
Located on The University of Nottingham’s award-winning Innovation Park, the new carbon neutral laboratory building will provide unrivalled facilities for chemistry. The focus on sustainability will be reflected in the building itself, which will incorporate the latest technologies to allow it to be carbon neutral over its lifetime.
The building is set to achieve a BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) rating of ‘Outstanding’ and LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) ‘Platinum’ rating. It is set to reach carbon neutral status after 25 years.
The laboratory is being built from natural materials while energy required to run it will be met by renewable sources such as solar power and sustainable biomass. Excess energy created by the building will provide enough carbon credits over 25 years to pay back the carbon used in its construction.
The building, which has been designed by architects, The Fairhursts Design Group, will occupy 4,500 sq m over two floors. In addition to laboratory space for around 100 researchers, it will also contain dedicated instrument rooms, a teaching laboratory for advanced undergraduate classes, and space for a range of outreach activities.
The development is being constructed in partnership between The University of Nottingham and the Higher Education Funding Council for England and is facilitated by a £12 million grant from GlaxoSmithKline.
