UK: room2 is set to open what is claimed to be the world’s first whole life net zero carbon hotel in Chiswick, west London, this December.
The hotel is expected to be 89 per cent more energy efficient than the typical UK hotel per square metre.
Room2 will look to achieve this through various initiatives. These include:
• On site renewables that convert the energy needed for heating, cooling and hot water from ground source heat pumps
• Solar panels on the roof to help generate five per cent of energy
• 100 per cent electric only building with no use of fossil fuels
• A ‘blue’ roof which stores 50,000 litres of rainwater to minimise local flooding
• A ‘green’ roof to increase local biodiversity
• A zero waste to landfill policy
• Water purification systems that use low heat technology to reduce the temperature needed to heat water by 30 degrees
• Piloting recycled li-ion battery cell M-BRIC technology to incorporate energy demand response and storage
• Two lab rooms to provide data on energy, water use and air quality
• Exploring university partnerships to test new technology and interventions to reduce energy and carbon
• A BREEAM excellent rating
A series of local artists and designers have contributed to the fitted and loose items at the property. All loose furniture has been made from FSC certified timber and manufactured within 10 miles of the property, whilst 4,478 trees have been planted to offset their emissions.
Robert Godwin, managing director at Lamington Group, the developer and operator of room2, said: “Opening the world’s first whole life net zero carbon hotel follows over two years of planning and the meticulous creation of a new room2 whole life net zero building framework to incorporate the very latest thinking in design, construction and operation. To authentically tackle climate change and truly mitigate our impact, we need to include the full footprint or ‘whole life’ of a building. Being operationally net zero alone ignores the majority of emissions that come from embodied carbon during a building’s lifetime. We are excited to be the first hotel company in the world to set a whole life standard as a baseline standard for our all buildings going forward, and hope to work with development and investment partners who share the same vision.”
Room2 Chiswick comprises 86 rooms with a kitchenette along with a cafe and restaurant. It marks the flagship property of Lamington’s ‘hometel’ room2 brand, joining two other sites in Southampton and Hammersmith.
The Chiswick property has been developed in line with the group’s recently launched Net Zero Building Specification – a framework aligning to the London Energy Transformation Initiative (“LETI”) principles and the UK Green Building Council net zero carbon buildings framework.
