Plans are underway to make building developments in the local area more eco-friendly.
Organisations across the area have vowed to help provide sustainable building solutions after the UK declared a climate emergency in May this year.
A seminar, entitled ‘Responding to climate change – a greener future for Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole’, brought together public and private sector experts in one place to share best practice.
The event was held in Bournemouth Universities Fusion Building, a £22 million investment which opened in 2017. The building holds an ‘excellent’ rating under the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) scheme for its sustainability.
BREEAM is an international scheme that provides independent certification of the sustainability performance of individual buildings.
On their website, the University, who have made sustainability central to their BU2025 strategy, said: “The Fusion Building is our most environmentally sustainable building to date.
© Copyright Jonathan Hutchins
“Ground source heat pumps lower our carbon emissions and heat the building in the winter and cool it during summer.
“Sensor-operated LED lighting, the triple-glazed atrium and AV systems, which turn off automatically when the areas are unoccupied, all reduce the energy demands of the building and help us to achieve our commitment to environmental sustainability.”
Speaking at the conference, Stuart Laird, BU director of estates, said: “This is a subject which is so clearly very important to all of us.
“BU’s development programme has sustainability at its core and we were pleased to be able to demonstrate significant achievements to date and to outline what our plans are for the future.
“The spirit of collaboration shown at the event was very encouraging, and will be needed to reach the area’s carbon zero goals.”
Other sponsors included Savills, Deep South Media and Hoare Lea.