We’re very aware of the sustainability and environmental issues the events industry raises. Plenty of projects require very rapid build, often in confined work areas, run for days rather than months or years and involve large amounts of mixed waste.
Right from the beginning on Pedley Street, we’re doing what we can to minimise the environmental impact of bringing this project to life. The venue was previously used as a garage workshop which meant plenty of oil and fuel-polluted ground in and around the space. Particularly in the gravel-filled soakaways around the edge of the concrete slab floor. These needed to be dug out, followed by a deep clean with hot degreaser pressure wash to the walls and floor.
Once the cleanup was completed, we sprayed the corrugated steel and PVC walls with a specialist water-based coating. Using a waterbased product minimises polluted runoff into the ground, and is easier to work with.
There’s no denying that using reclaimed materials is an opportunity to make savings - however, we have to be sure we know what we use is suitable for the job. The decking that the set is built on is dressed and invisible to guests once installed. So we sourced reclaimed deck that while structurally sound is not cosmetically acceptable for most other projects.
This deck stands on short galvanised steel legs - and here we purchased and cut de-commissioned scaffolding from a large national supplier.
A reclaimed load of marine-grade plywood (previously used on a theatre stage floor) required a small amount of additional work to prepare for laying as our floor. However, it saved it from the chipper and around 50% of the cost of new material.
We’re lucky that the thick, heavy brick structure of a railway arch changes temperature slowly and holds heat well, meaning the interior will be relatively warm in the winter and cool in the summer. We hope to avoid the need to air condition the space, and the reduction in energy use this will bring.
Most lighting in the space and onset is low-wattage halogen or LED - reducing our energy use even further though electrical efficiency and minimised heat waste.
And we’re pleased to have partnered with a Zero Waste to Landfill - registered waste disposal contractor. Daily collections of glass, comingled recycling and food waste are sorted locally before being recycled and used for biomass electricity generation where possible.
We’ll be looking for more opportunities to reduce, recycle or reuse throughout this project. And our company policies will reflect this sentiment as we recruit and train running staff over the coming weeks.
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