Zero Carbon Event Space

Ecospheric has supported Drinkwater Architects and CODA Architecture in designing a nearly zero carbon site in the heart of Salford, which has been granted planning approval. The Victoria Warehouse project offers the opportunity to create an exemplary and ground-breaking case study for the unique application of a low carbon mass timber building system with a non-designated heritage asset, demonstrating how these historic buildings can contribute to the UK’s goal of a zero carbon future.  

This historic warehouse-turned hotel and event venue features a sensitive, low embodied carbon extension employing novel timber structural solutions hybridised with the existing masonry structure. The design approach has reduced the embodied carbon for the project to one-third of the original figure (from 1073 down to 355 tCO2e).

Ecospheric developed the sustainability strategy for the development carrying out operational and whole life carbon assessment as well as fabric and structural design optimisation and specification. The result is a renewable generation scheme that completely offset the operational carbon for the whole project using conservation of energy principles and onsite generation alone. This figure includes the first mass timber carpark and mass timber acoustic roof for the adjacent O2 Victoria Warehouse.

KEY FEATURES

• First ever, large scale, whole life carbon neutral commercial building

• Building integrated renewable energy generation producing enough power for the main buildings

• Future-proofed heritage asset providing zero-carbon retrofit pathway for commercial district redevelopment

• Mass timber structural design

• 66% reduction in structural embodied carbon