Copyright Landmarc Support Services 2021.
The Climate Change and Sustainability Lead at the Ministry of Defence (MOD), Lt Gen Richard Nugee, has officially opened three new eco-friendly buildings at Nesscliff Training Camp in Shropshire.
The accommodation blocks form part of a wider investment being undertaken by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO), which is part-funded using money from a £200-million investment to improve UK Armed Forces accommodation.
£45-million is being invested in building new carbon-efficient accommodation on the Defence Training Estate in a project called the Net-Zero Carbon Accommodation Programme (NetCAP).
Lt Gen Nugee watched the demolition of some 1930s Nissen huts, which will be replaced with more of the NetCAP buildings in a second phase at Nesscliff later this year.
The first NetCAP building opened at Westdown Camp on Salisbury Plain last summer and has since been followed by other new carbon-efficient blocks at Castlemartin Training Area in Pembrokeshire, Brunswick Camp in Surrey and Knook Camp, also on Salisbury Plain. Each new block is an iteration on the same design, with the Reds10 team looking at ways to reduce energy use and embodied carbon for each new version.
The 3 buildings at Nesscliff have improved on the Westdown Camp proof of concept and have an Energy Performance Certificate rating of –5, thanks to solar panels on the roof, air source heat pumps and a heat recovery system in the showers and drying rooms. This means they will be able to generate power for the site, reducing electricity costs.
The team were also able to reduce embodied carbon by 30% at Nesscliff, as compared to the Westdown Camp prototype. Smart technology in the blocks allows Landmarc to monitor energy use, how the buildings are being used and if necessary, make changes remotely to all the NetCAP buildings. This further helps to reduce energy use and running costs.
The remainder of the £200-million investment is being spent on Service Family Accommodation and training accommodation at Longmoor Training Camp, and improvements to Single Living Accommodation in army barracks, RAF bases and naval establishments.
