Project features

Engaging with eTool at design stage

The design achieved an impressive 101% savings in carbon emissions when compared to a residential benchmark in the same climate zone. Thanks to Marc’s commitment to sustainable principals from the outset, the design achieves a rare eTool Platinum rating – the only one awarded in 2013.

Embodied CO2e

Being a refurbished building, the project had a sustainable advantage from the beginning. The main structural materials will remain leftover (external brick, roof frame, concrete floor) and their impacts are not included to avoid double counting. Only internal finishes of the building, which were being replaced were counted meaning the development has a very low initial embodied impact. In addition, the building has an extended predicted design life because of its historical value and is protected under re-development planning laws.

Solar Photovoltaics

The building will be operationally “carbon negative”, meaning it will produce more electricity (and hence CO2e savings) than it will consume. A 3 kW Solar PV will offset neighbouring fossil fuel grid electricity when the panels are generating more electricity than is consumed in the building. This system does have a high embodied impact, which results in a Gold rather than Platinum rating for embodied emissions, however the operational impacts more than make up for this, resulting in an overall Platinum rating.