Construction consultancy Mace is overseeing the installation of an innovative ‘solar membrane’ on the roof of the London Stadium.
At between 6,000 and 7,000 metres square, the membrane presents quite the surface area to harvest the sun’s energy. It is said the cutting edge technology will generate more than one million kWh of renewable energy every year.
Even so, that’s only a fraction of the stadium’s energy needs; equating to some 10% of its current electricity usage. Nevertheless, it represents a saving of up to £350,000 a year in energy costs.
Mace, the international consultancy and construction company, is providing project management support for the installation of the ‘solar membrane’.
A supplier for the technology hasn’t yet been selected, Mace says, but it is supporting the tender process, which is currently underway. There is a lot of interested parties, the company adds; a winning bidder is expected to be appointed in November this year.
Davendra Dabasia, Mace Consult’s chief operating officer, said: “In addition to continuing our 17-year relationship with the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, this commission is especially pleasing because we’ve been able to leverage our responsible business consultancy services to help [London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC)] achieve its sustainability goals.
“At Mace, we recently set an ambitious target of helping our clients to save 10 million tonnes of carbon as part of our responsible business plan and this exciting project is another step in the right direction.
“It’s an example of consultancy work making a difference early on in a project’s lifecycle, influencing outcomes for the better.”
Mace has enjoyed an unbroken presence at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park since 2006. The contract to project manage the solar membrane installation comes off the back of an appointment to a LLDC framework
Supporting the project from the outset, Mace has worked with the stadium operator, LS185, to develop a “clear and compelling” business case to present to LLDC.
This involved analysis of the environmental benefits, economic viability, return on investment and overall feasibility of the initiative. Mace also contributed to technical guidance on design challenges, including careful consideration of the weight threshold for the stadium’s cantilevered roof, which led to the innovative membrane solution.
The project is funded by City Hall and it is expected to result in a reduction of 270 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year.
Ben Coulter, LLDC’s head of sustainability, said: “This a vitally important contract so it’s important to have the right support in place from the outset. Not only will this investment drive financial savings but will also help make significant reductions to carbon dioxide emissions.”
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