Services Masterplan Energy and Environment

MEE Masterplan Energy and Environment

Hilson Moran’s Masterplan Energy and Environment (MEE) Group represents a unique multidisciplinary approach.

Masterplan Energy and Environment

Bringing together individuals from specialist groups across the practice who have significant masterplan project experience, the team provides advice on technical, commercial and policy aspects of district energy, environmental impact and sustainable building design. These individuals work collaboratively as a single team with shared common design and commercial drivers, with the aim of delivering a robust, cost effective planning consent.

What this means for the project team – the developer, the masterplan architect or the planner – is that one MEE representative can bring advice regarding utilities, protected species, external noise constraints, local microclimate, wellbeing, plant room sizing, emerging energy policy, and BREEAM opportunities, along with many other areas where we possess in house expertise. This provides the developer with a one-stop shop for planning and preliminary design, along with the ability to capture technical design, commercial viability and policy compliance across a wide range of typically disparate disciplines.

Recently, during the development of a 1300-home mixed-use development in South East London, two of our consultants represented 10 specialist disciplines through the pre-planning design stage. This would not have been possible without the wealth of knowledge that is shared openly across disciplines within our practice.

We believe that the future of design lies in interdisciplinary practice and that regular, effective communication enriches the outcome of wider collaborations. This benefit is accentuated in larger, mixed-use developments and our MEE team meets regularly to consolidate their experience, tools and knowledge of industry developments. For the Mixed-Use Commercial Zone (MUCZ) at Education City, in Doha, we used advanced computer modelling to shape the masterplan and develop full infrastructural concepts in line with the latest sustainability principles of urban design in that region.

Another skill which differentiates our MEE team from the more conventional engineering / sustainability consultancy mix, is our ability to advice on commercial issues when delivering and managing the technical aspects of district energy systems. At the Royal Albert Dock in London, our team presented various commercial and governance options for the design, build, commissioning and operation of the district heating and cooling system in addition to the concept and scheme design. This included planning consultations and commercial discussions with ESCos, before advising the client to create their own energy services entity to deliver the energy solution and therefore benefit from the large investment over the life of the development

Our MEE Group continues to evolve through the development of individuals’ skills and external collaborations with industry frontrunners in both professional and academic arenas.

For more information, please contact Marie-Louise Schembri mschembri@hilsonmoran.com

MASTERPLANNING, ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY SERVICE

Pre- Planning

Pre-planning design studies
Feasibility studies
Environmental audit
Pre-planning reports
Environmental impact assessments
Infrastructure concept and commercial de-risking
Sustainability statements
Environmental certification

Energy

Feasibility studies
Commercial appraisal and viability
Esco market testing
Esco and utilities commercial negotiations
Space planning
Energy strategies
Energy implementation plans

Masterplan Energy and Environment Case studies

Al Thumama Stadium World Cup Football Stadium: Environmental Impact Assessment, Sustainability

Hilson Moran are currently employed to provide environmental consultancy services for multiple football stadia projects for the 2022 FIFA World Cup™, including the Al Thumama Stadium. The stadium will be located in Doha’s southern suburbs in the Al Thumama area holding at least 40,000 fans and host games through to the 2022 FIFA World Cup™ quarter-finals. We have provided environmental and sustainable design services from early phases of concept design through to developed design.

A significant component of our scope was the production of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report for the development. Our work incorporated detailed environmental assessment studies covering a wide range of disciplines including ecology, air quality, noise, water resources, ground contamination, and visual impacts.

At the outset of the project, we carried out detailed environmental surveys of the existing stadium site including air quality, ecological and ground contamination studies, with predictions of the potential environmental impact of the development made using the latest computations environmental models and where necessary suitable mitigation measures proposed.

The resulting 600 page Environmental Statement report was submitted to the Qatari Governments Supreme Committee in June 2016, with the development successfully approved.

We have subsequently undertaken detailed geo-environmental investigations of the site and prepared a Construction Environmental Management Plan (CEMP) to help the contractor minimise the environmental impacts during construction.

Royal Albert Dock: Masterplan, Energy and Environment

The Royal Albert Dock (RAD) development is a 35-acre, 3M ft² gross mixed use scheme comprising office, leisure, retail and ancillary residential buildings in the Royal Docks Enterprise Zone, east of the City of London. Hilson Moran was appointed by Advanced Business Parks (ABP) for a number of engineering consultancy services.

The project brought together Hilson Moran’s expertise in building services design, energy planning, infrastructure design and economics, fire engineering, vertical transportation, acoustics, air quality, ecology, wind microclimate assessment and environmental certification to one integrated and responsive team.

Achieving London’s Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) reduction targets was particularly challenging due to constraints generated by the proximity of London City Airport and the presence of Listed Buildings on site. Through early involvement and an involved approach with ABP and the design team, we managed to achieve >35% CO₂reduction from the overall site and >43% reduction on a large number of buildings.

Passive design and energy efficiency measures to reduce energy demand and consumption were advised early on in the context of the development’s design philosophy, site constraints (noise, air quality and wind) and the overall strategy for reducing carbon emissions. Hilson Moran provided rules of thumb, dynamic thermal models and other hand on tools to guide the architectural, buildings services and infrastructural design on a planning compliance and best practice course.

One of the key project deliberations was the long term management of the Energy Centre and district energy network. Hilson Moran presented various commercial options to the developer and managed the design, legal and economic aspects of this element, including planning consultations and commercial discussions with ESCos. The result was the successful development of the developer’s preferred option.

A large array of PV across the site forms part of the site-wide emissions reduction strategy, but was also met with constraints. The allocation and positioning of PV had to be developed in consultation with London City Airport and AviaSolutions due to their ability to cause electromagnetic interference and glare.

Additionally, initial ecological surveys revealed the presence of the endangered Streaked Bombardier Beetle on site and Hilson Moran managed the consultation with Buglife, produced the translocation and management plan for approval and coordinated landscape design to incorporate recommendations for their protection. Hilson Moran also managed consultations with London City Airport with respect to potential impact of the proposed site ecological enhancements by the addition of biodiverse roofs.

Hilson Moran assessed the wind environment of the proposal and the intended uses of the public amenity spaces, thoroughfares and building entrances. Mitigation measures were proposed and developed with Farrells throughout early design.

Our qualified BREEAM Assessors underwent the task of registering and coordinating the commitments and evidence for a large number of BREEAM Assessments across the masterplan area, managing efficiencies and proposing strategic site-wide solutions to comply with ambitious certification targets.

Alderley Park: Masterplan, Energy and Environment

The Alderley Park site comprises a mixed development of laboratory, offices and conference facilities. The site is renowned for important advancements in medical treatments. The buildings are of mixed age dating between 1960 to 2011 more recent constructions.

Following their acquisition of Alderley Park, Alderley Park Ltd has commissioned Hilson Moran to develop a feasible energy strategy as Astrazeneca vacates the site.

The current site heat infrastructure consists of a High Pressure, High Temperature network fed from a central Energy Centre containing dual fuel (boilers). The system runs 24/7 and is unsustainable due to its inefficiency and the age of the pipework, which is 40 years old in places.

The key challenge was to develop a strategy that accounts for system whole life cycle and can be applied in a phased modular approach as buildings are gradually vacated. A new centralised system would have to marry well with the existing or improved (more energy efficient) building services. Carbon emissions is a key factor for consideration due to emerging Cheshire East planning policy and because of known benefits for attracting new tenants to the Park.

All options were presented against planning, technical and commercial implications to account for aspects such as emerging policy, safety and security of supply.

Costs and carbon dioxide (CO₂) savings were evaluated over a 30-year period in the context of future developments such as the potential decarbonisation of the National Grid.

The outcome of the first stage of the analysis is a further investigation into the feasibility of installing modular Ground Source Heat Pump (GSHP) technology. The site lends itself to this opportunity, due to land availability and Radnor Mere. It would rely on electrical input which is likely to have a lower carbon factor over time.

Al Falah Town Centre: Masterplan, Energy and Environment

Al Falah is a new satellite town for 43,000 people outside the city of Abu Dhabi. It is an oasis in the desert organised as a group of five residential villages each with their own identity and organised into an irregular plan that is characteristic of traditional Arabic towns.

Hilson Moran was involved in the development of the 170 hectare Al Falah Town Centre, which is surrounded by residential neighbourhoods. The Town Centre is designed as a sustainable core becoming a point of focus and service for the entire community, offering an attractive place to live. It included a variety of residential typologies with a focus on villa development, together with community facilities including a private hospital, a shaded shopping mall, a civil defence station, a police station, a post office, mosques, leisure and school facilities and multiple open green spaces for the use of the residents and the general public.

The masterplan is aimed at delivering an environmentally sensitive development with a quality landscape which is both sustainable and climatically appropriate. One of the design intents of the space masterplan is to provide easy access to everyday amenities. In addition, the green outdoor spaces, numerous footpath and bicycle paths provide residents with the option of outdoor activities within the community. Each building within the community has been designed with the focus on water and energy consumption.

The project was developed along the principles of the Estidama Pearl Community Rating System (PCRS) applying all seven categories: Natural Systems, Mobility, Outdoor Comfort, Energy for Building Plots, Building Orientation, Materials and Waste.

Hilson Moran provided the infrastructure services design for concept and detailed Masterplan stages to support the Town Centre masterplan. Working collaboratively with both the client and the architect, strategies were continuously re-evaluated as the masterplan evolved. This involved the assessment of utility service provisions to each plot and plot type in an evolving iterative process and applying this information to an overall utility distribution strategy.

A parallel and critical element of the duties undertaken was obtaining the required No Objection Certificates (NOC) from the utility providers and Local Authorities as part of the overall detailed masterplan submission to the Urban Planning Council. The process of obtaining the necessary approvals within the tight timescale set by the client was achieved by applying an open and collaborative approach with the relevant authorities.

Utilities infrastructure services comprise all buried utility primary and trunk distribution through the Town Centre from and to connections to external infrastructure at the Town Centre site boundaries. This includes power, potable water, irrigation, fire water mains, foul sewerage, storm water, solid waste strategy and telecommunications. In addition to utilities site reticulation, the design included utility plot plans and road cross sections identifying the juxtaposition of the various services with the above ground features.

Hilson Moran @HilsonMoran

- 1 Jan 1970