Red Engineering Middle East managing director Mick Cairns says hotels can only achieve sustainability through proper design

The idea of sustainability is no longer floating at the margins of the built environment; it has become central to the concept of what makes for ‘good design’. Although regulatory frameworks have begun to ensure that minimum standards of sustainability are incorporated into building design, the private sector is catching on to this, recognising the commercial opportunities associated with being, and being seen to be, ‘green’.

It is often taken for granted that improving the environmental credentials of a building through enhanced assessment LEED/BREEAM targets is guaranteed to add cost, but this does not have to be the case. The earlier in the design process that the principles of sustainable design are considered, the more likely it is that additional cost can be avoided.

While many operators have very well defined design guidelines which incorporate an absolute requirement for the inclusion of ‘green’ technologies and in some cases go as far to stipulate energy consumption benchmarks, how many ‘carbon efficient’ hotels are operating today? Sustainable technologies that can be applied to hotels are many and well documented, however, it should be understood that this, in no way, guarantees efficient operation of a building.

All too often, hotels are actually burning money and increasing carbon emissions due to excessive energy consumption. In some cases operators are the victim of the property they inherit; in others they are central to the cause. Key issues in relation to MEP systems that cause excessive energy consumption include:
• Over-design (missed opportunity to apply suitable diversity, poor zoning of systems to match use-profile of various spaces)
• a poor approach to or lack of effective commissioning
• poor operational management

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A safe, conventional MEP design solution that does not adequately consider the complexities and interaction of the various spaces within a four- or five-star hotel can result in significant over-design of local and central plant and equipment that results in grossly inefficient system operation.

This can increase energy consumption by 40-50% when compared to a well-considered design solution that challenges every aspect of each system and their intended performance and use-profile.

By way of example, broadening the range of internal temperature and humidity control tolerances can bring significant reductions in building CO2 emissions without sacrificing anything significant by way of occupant comfort. Energy modelling is essential during the design phase — it allows the MEP designer to make informed decisions in respect to system and building diversity.

Early collaboration between designer and operator is strongly recommended. Engineering systems, their maintenance and control, should be kept as simple as possible since it is the building operator who inherits the designer’s legacy. Moreover, continued involvement of the designer in the first year of building operation can allow further refinement of future projects by collecting data and analysing this against the energy models that were produced during the design. By taking a holistic approach, we better ensure that ‘green wash’ is avoided and our buildings are sustainable in the proper sense.

Details: www.red-eng.com