Mott MacDonald brings energy efficient design to £5.3m dog Rehoming Centre in Shropshire, UK
A new £5.3 million rehoming centre for dogs has been completed, with the help of Mott MacDonald. The consultancy was appointed as design engineer by the Dogs Trust, the UK’s largest dog welfare charity, for the new centre located in the town of Roden. The design measures proposed and adopted should contribute greatly to the targeted BREEAM 'Outstanding' rating and, if successful, will be one of the first buildings to achieve the highest BREEAM rating.
The project is being developed as the previous accommodation was in need of an upgrade to ensure the dogs were living in the finest possible conditions. The old Rehoming Centre was difficult to heat and, as a result, Dogs Trust faced large energy bills to maintain conditions suitable for the health and welfare of the animals.
The new Rehoming Centre comprises kennels and welfare facilities for dogs, a public viewing area and reception, staff offices, training hall and veterinary facilities. In addition to the main facilities, there are several new buildings spread over the site including the intake building, where new dogs are cared for and assessed before being offered to the public for rehoming. A specialist whelping kennel for giving birth as well as a training and behavioural barn where dogs with specific training needs work with the dedicated behaviourists have also been built.
Mott MacDonald has provided building design services for the heating, ventilation, and cooling of the new facilities as well as hot water and drainage. The role included designs for the lighting, power supplies and fire alarms. Mott MacDonald also researched the specific health and well being requirements of the dogs in the selection of suitable design criteria for internal temperatures, ventilation and lighting levels.
Energy efficiency and sustainability have been considered in all areas of the design and services have been designed to meet a demanding energy consumption level. Mott MacDonald’s mechanical and engineering design included a central pre-packaged biomass boiler plant and district heating serving a majority of the buildings on the site. Photo voltaic panels to generate electricity from solar energy were also installed on the buildings. The use of sound passive and low energy techniques and renewable technologies has helped achieve a ‘net zero carbon’ building by offsetting the carbon emissions arising from heating, cooling, generating hot water and ventilating the building. The building has achieved an A+ rating for energy efficiency under the UK Building Regulations.
Mott MacDonald’s project director, Dave Selvage said, “Computer thermal simulations of the building were used to inform the services design, testing out and optimising passive options such as natural ventilation and night time cooling. The impact of these design measures on the carbon emissions and energy efficiency was also assessed. The site features a large rainwater collection and treatment system to be used for washing down and cleaning kennels as well as the laundry of dog baskets and blankets.”
Dogs Trust Chief Executive, Clarissa Baldwin OBE, comments: “After 40 years of caring for dogs in the Shropshire area we are delighted that our Shrewsbury Rehoming Centre is having a face lift which will dramatically improve the experience of the dogs in our care whilst ensuring we reduce our carbon pawprint.”
Ends
NOTE - Images are credit of George Archer.
Media Enquiries:
Tom Smith
44 (0) 20 8774 2205
tom.smith@mottmac.com
Christina de Burgh-Milne
44 (0) 20 8774 3639
christina.deburgh-milne@mottmac.com
Lee Lodge
44 (0) 20 8774 2040
lee.lodge@mottmac.com
About Mott MacDonald
Mott MacDonald is a global management, engineering and development consultancy with more than 14,000 staff, £1 billion revenue and work in 140 countries for the public and private sectors. The employee-owned company is ranked 13th in the 2011 Sunday Times 25 Best Big Companies to Work For survey and was awarded Engineering Consultant of the Year at the 2011 Building Awards. Mott MacDonald’s core business sectors cover buildings, transport, energy, water, environment, health, education, industry, oil and gas, communications and international development.
More information can be found at http://www.mottmac.com/
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