Case Study - continued
When it comes to construction on-site, Graham believes that some aspects of their service will never change.
‘Metropolitan’s superior customer care, tried-and-tested single point of contact system, and simple work scheduling are industry-leading,’ says Graham. ‘We will remain focused on delivering the best service and the best value in utility infrastructure.’
Buildings throughout the development will be connected to a site-wide district heating network using a combined heat and power (CHP) plant, which uses natural gas to drive engines to produce heat and power. Metropolitan will also utilise other sustainable technologies including roof-mounted wind turbines, photovoltaics (where sunlight is directly converted into electricity), ground source heat pumps and solar thermal systems for generating hot water. Employing this technology ensures that King’s Cross Central will be one of the most sustainable and energy efficient developments in the UK.
‘It’s the first site of its kind,’ said Metropolitan Development Director John Marsh. ‘And it gives us an enormous sense of satisfaction to see this development come together, because it means we’re getting somewhere – it means that people are starting to understand the sustainability message.’
‘We welcome the continued commitment to helping create a sustainable future environment for King’s Cross Central,’ said Cllr Keith Moffitt, Leader of Camden Council. ‘The new energy centre will play a key role in the overall development, bringing to life our shared vision of jobs, housing, leisure and community facilities for local people in King’s Cross Central.’
Camden Council isn’t the only government body backing the initiative. Mayor of London Boris Johnson published a ‘Planning a Better London’ report in July 2008, detailing his plans on how to improve the quality of life for Londoners through the capital’s planning system. It stated that ‘planning can promote energy efficient design and construction, greater efficiency in the use of resources (such as combined heat and power and the use of heat networks) and the use of renewable energy sources.’