room2 has unveiled plans to open the world’s first whole life net-zero carbon hotel in Chiswick, West London, in December. Expected to be 89% more energy efficient than the typical UK hotel per m², room2 Chiswick has been built with pioneering technologies to achieve net-zero throughout both the design and construction stages and throughout its whole life, which, in a hotel industry first, includes both embodied and operational emissions. The product aligns increasing consumer and investment interest in environmentalism and sustainable development, with a particular focus on reducing the greatest contributor to climate change, carbon emissions and greenhouse gases. The guest experience is unaffected by the ultra-low energy standard, with the building’s interior design being inspired by the arts and crafts movement around Chiswick.
“Opening the world’s first whole life net-zero carbon hotel follows over two years of planning and the meticulous creation of a new room2 whole life net zero building framework to incorporate the very latest thinking in design, construction and operation”, said Robert Godwin, Managing Director at Lamington Group and room2. “We have designed and built a hotel which is 89% more energy efficient than the average UK hotel, and set a new standard for true sustainable development in the global hotel industry.”
Via on site renewables, the building will convert 100% of its energy needs for heating, cooling and hot water. It’s proprietary intelligent building and reporting system seeks to improve performance across the sum of incremental gains. Two ‘lab rooms’ provide data on energy, water use and air quality, along with studying and learning from guest behaviours patterns. The building has been opened up to University partnerships to test new innovative technologies and interventions to reduce energy and carbon. Learnings will be used to advance the net zero building framework for future hotels as a pioneering example for the built environment.
Robert Godwin continued: “To authentically tackle climate change and truly mitigate our impact, we need to include the full footprint or ‘whole life’ of a building. Being operationally net zero alone ignores the majority of emissions that come from embodied carbon during a building's lifetime. We are excited to be the first hotel company in the world to set a whole life standard as a baseline standard for our all buildings going forward, and hope to work with development and investment partners who share the same vision.”
