Sustainable design at St Gemma’s Hospice
Sustainability is at the heart of our new Young People’s Service pavilion.
Right from the design stage, we have sought to minimise the environmental impact of the pavilion – both its impact during its construction and the energy needed to run it.
We have worked to limit the emissions created during the construction of the pavilion (often called “embodied carbon”) by using sustainable low-carbon building materials such as timber. Using highly-insulated structural timber panels, constructed offsite and erected on site as a ‘kit of parts’, has reduced the carbon footprint further and significantly reduced the construction time too.
In order to minimise the energy consumption of the finished pavilion, the building has high levels of thermal insulation and will be fully electric. An efficient air source heat pump will be used for heating the building (through electric underfloor heating), and means we will not need a natural gas supply.
Even the orientation of the building has been considered with sustainability in mind. The pavilion is built on a north-south axis to allow the solar panel on the roof to get as much sunlight as possible to generate electricity for the building. This solar power will provide a significant amount of the buildings annual energy requirements!
Having a space that is in harmony with the gardens was a key part of the brief from the children involved in the design process. One way this will be achieved is through the two large glazed openings and roof lights in the building – with the added benefit of reducing our reliance on artificial lighting. This is balanced with ensuring there isn’t too much glazing to cause the building to overheat, and the incorporation of shade from the timber canopy that protects the building.
Taking these steps to create a sustainable new addition to the Hospice site is one of the ways we are putting our commitment to sustainability into action.
Find out more about our new pavilion, specifically designed for bereaved children and young people at https://www.st-gemma.co.uk/young-peoples-pavilion