Sustainable Futures Wright & Wright - Flipbook - Page 29
Climate of change
Michael Minta
‘Responding to the
climate crisis is an
essential part of
our responsibility
to safeguard
God’s creation
and achieve a
just world’
As is the case with buildings of an
equivalent age and heritage significance,
Lambeth Palace was in urgent need of
substantial repairs to bring its heating,
electrics and plumbing up to modern
standards. There was a high risk of a
catastrophic failure of these systems,
with the potential to cause irreparable
damage to the fabric of the building.
As well as being a nationally significant
historic site, Lambeth Palace is crucial
to the ministry of Archbishops of
Canterbury, the Church of England,
and the wider Anglican Communion.
The refurbishment, the first in
nearly 70 years, following a postwar
programme of rebuilding, will improve
the safety, sustainability and accessibility
of Lambeth Palace, ensuring that it can
remain a global base for the Church’s
mission and hospitality, benefitting
the nation for generations to come.
The project will also help make
Lambeth a model for achieving genuine
sustainability in historic buildings.
Prior to the refurbishment, the Palace
ran on highly inefficient gas boilers,
with little means of controlling the
system’s operation, through pipework
that was up to 70 years old in places.
The reliance of the Palace site on gas
will now end, setting it firmly on a
trajectory to net zero carbon.
A new Energy Centre containing
three air source heat pumps is the new
source of heating for the entire site.
Situated within an existing service yard,
the Energy Centre is connected to the
buildings via a series of trenches and
some 2km of new pipework. In tandem
with the construction of this new
infrastructure, 140 radiators have been
replaced, 160 new windows installed
and over 39 tonnes of timber recycled,
saving 20 tonnes of CO2 emissions.
All kitchen equipment has been
salvaged and reused, along with all
existing windows and radiators.
Not forgetting the installation of 50km
of cabling and 26 new WCs.
But this is just one project that is
helping the Church of England to
become more sustainable. In 2020
General Synod set the whole Church an
ambitious and stretching challenge to be
net zero carbon by 2030. In July 2022 a
route map to net zero carbon was agreed
by Synod setting out the actions needed
by all parts of the Church in response to
the global environmental calamity we
now find ourselves in and identifying
immediate priority investment areas.
This ambitious 2030 campaign
aims to equip, resource and support all
parts of the Church to reduce carbon
emissions from the energy used in its
buildings, schools and work-related
transport by 2030. We know that climate
change impacts most acutely on the
poorest countries and poorest people
of the world. Responding to the climate
crisis is an essential part of our
responsibility to safeguard God’s
creation and achieve a just world.
Tackling climate change also
supports our local mission. It bears
witness to our communities that we are
people who care about climate justice,
now and in the future. But there are also
clear and immediate practical benefits.
Many of the steps needed to reduce
energy use will make our buildings
warmer and more welcoming, so they
can be used more often by more
people and ultimately save money on
running costs.
Opposite:
Refurbishment work in
progress at Lambeth Palace,
part of a masterplan to
remodel and decarbonise
the historic estate
Climate of change
29
