NETCAP DELIVERS ITS FIRST DOUBLE-STOREY CARBON NEGATIVE BUILDINGS

The award-winning Net-Zero Carbon Accommodation Programme (NetCAP) has reached another key milestone by delivering the UK Defence Training Estate (DTE)’s first double-storey carbon negative buildings with added rainwater harvesting capabilities.

NetCAP Brunswick double storey

The two new double-storey accommodation blocks at Brunswick Camp in Surrey allow for 104 bed spaces each and join three existing single-storey buildings on the camp. Photo credit: Reds10.

About NetCAP

The wider programme, which is being delivered by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO), its industry partner, Landmarc Support Services, and modular construction specialist Reds10, is part of a multi-million pound investment to transform the lived experience for our Armed Forces. The programme is set to deliver over 70 carbon efficient buildings, which will mean more than 3,900 new bed spaces across the DTE and over 9,100 tonnes of carbon saved.

The accommodation provides beds, showers, ablutions and drying rooms all in one modern complex, removing the need for troops to move around different buildings.

Driving down carbon emissions

NetCAP has delivered continuous improvements on the accommodation design throughout its lifecycle, thanks to data from SMART technology and lessons learned being fed directly back into the programme at speed. So far, the programme has delivered:

  • The DTE’s first carbon negative accommodation with an EPC rating of -5, followed by further blocks achieving EPC ratings of -7,-9 and -10.
  • A significant reduction in embodied carbon by some 130 tCO2s per building.
  • Considerable savings in time spent on manufacture and installation from 15 weeks for the programme prototype to less than 13 weeks for subsequent buildings.

Boosting environmental performance

The DIO wanted to boost environmental performance not only in construction, but for the ongoing lifecycle of the buildings, so a variety of innovative green measures have been implemented to ensure long-term operational efficiency. These include solar panels on the roof, air source heat pumps and a heat recovery system in the showers and drying rooms. This means the buildings will be able to generate power for the site, reducing electricity costs.

The most recent development in this area is the implementation of a rainwater harvesting system, whereby rainwater is captured from the roof using the guttering system, before being filtered and directed into a rainwater harvesting tank that pumps the water back into the building for use. This greatly reduces water consumption within the buildings and turns the British weather to our advantage.

The project team have also installed sensors on the water feeds to measure the volume collected and evaluate how much water is saved per building each year. The first buildings in the scheme to include this additional feature are at Brunswick Training camp in Surrey. These buildings, which are currently being handed over, are also the scheme’s first double-storey accommodation blocks, while still remaining carbon negative. The two new buildings, which allow for 104 bed spaces each, join three existing single-storey buildings already at Brunswick.

Further locations within the programme will feature both rain water harvesting and double-storey buildings throughout its delivery and we are looking forward to installing the DTE’s first carbon negative Combined Joint Operations Centre (CJOC) at Wretham Camp in Suffolk in late March.