Local supply chain management company, Howard Tenens has sourced a new sustainable building in Dagenham, known as Voltaic.
The building is 233,000 sq ft in size with 10,000 sq ft of office space and is strategically positioned near to the main road, rail and air networks and is part of London Gateway. It will be used exclusively for Coca-Cola Enterprises, the world’s largest marketer, producer and distributor of The Coca-Cola company’s products.
Voltaic incorporates many environmentally–friendly and sustainable initiatives as part of both Howard Tenens and CCE’s ethos to reduce the impact of their operations on the environment.
There are solar photovoltaic roof panels which provide energy from a renewable source, minimising the use of fossil fuels and reducing the reliance on the electrical grid distribution system; equally the energy produced is free of carbon emissions, saving 7.13 tonnes of CO2 per annum.
Sky-lights cover 15 per cent of the roof, against an industry norm of 10 per cent; this provides increased natural light to the warehouse floor, reducing the need for electric lighting, saving 59.02 tonnes of CO2 per annum. This is the optimum percentage of natural light that can be introduced without damaging the products which are stored in the warehouse.
There is a ground source heat pump which uses the ‘earth’s energy’ to supply heating and cooling systems for the offices, saving 50.85 tonnes of CO2 per annum. Solar thermal collectors create free hot water in the summer and deliver substantial hot water savings in the winter, saving 4.57 tonnes of CO2 per annum.
These energy sources provide a projected saving of 14 per cent of the office power costs and 121.5 tonnes of CO2 per annum equating to circa 8 per cent savings per annum.
Rainwater collection from the roof harvests and conserves up to 400,000 litres of water per annum and is re-used within the building for grey water recycling into the toilet areas. Low water use appliances are installed in staff areas providing further water savings which in total are projected to be in the region of 50 per cent of normal water usage.
Sustainable timber, recycled and natural materials are incorporated in the interior of the building including carpet and ceiling tiles and Marmoleum floor coverings. Organic paint is used reducing toxic emission and delivering a healthier working environment. The yard area is landscaped featuring local provenance vegetation to promote biodiversity.
Voltaic won the Sustainability Award at the Building Awards and the Borough of Barking and Dagenham have adopted Voltaic as a case study in its planning guidance to promote London Gateway.
Peter Latham, vice president logistics European supply chain, CCE said: “We have made a public commitment to reduce the overall carbon footprint of our business operations by 15 per cent by 2020. We are already undertaking a number of initiatives to achieve this goal, including reducing our packaging and transport miles, as well as the energy we use in manufacturing.
“This is another step towards achieving that goal, and we are very pleased to work with partners like Howard Tenens who are as committed as we are to energy conservation and investing in initiatives that that will deliver tangible benefits and minimise the impact of our business on the environment.”
