At the first of the two pre-WWII RAF hangars at Cranfield University the internal refurbishment and decarbonisation project is now well underway to ensure they continue to service the University for many more years to come.
To provide a sustainable solution, Carter Design Group designed an insulated, air-tight ‘box within a box’ which sits inside the hangar, which is currently being installed. This will transform the hangar’s thermal performance and efficiency, reducing the carbon footprint by 75% on completion.
“The original plans for the refurbishment were to remove and replace the entire cladding and saw-tooth roof from the hangars,” explains Andrew Grant, Principal Architectural Designer
at CDG, “On further exploration we realised we could create a much more environmentally sustainable solution that is more cost efficient and quicker to deliver. Creating a ‘box within a box’ also extends the life of the hangars and preserves the heritage of the facades, with the fitting of new steel-framed insulated automatic doors further improving the thermal efficiency of the hangars.”
The work is being made possible by an award through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) which is funded by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and delivered by Salix Finance.
The Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme has been made available for capital energy efficiency and heat decarbonisation projects within public sector non-domestic buildings, including central government departments and non-departmental public bodies in England only, to provide the following objectives:
- Deliver stimulus to the energy efficiency and heat decarbonisation sectors, supporting jobs.
- Deliver significant carbon savings within the public sector.
15th February 2023
