DSSR has been provided utility services consultancy on the redevelopment of the former Ravenscraig Steelwork site for Ravenscraig Ltd – a joint venture comprising Scottish Enterprise, Wilson Bowden Development, and Tata Steel was formed.

Project Overview

The project utilises a very wide range of modern energy solutions such as ground source heat pumps, air source heat pumps, solar thermal, biomass, anaerobic digestion and adiabatic cooling.

The 450-hectare site is one of the largest brownfield sites in Europe and the Masterplan will provide over 3,500 residential units, 30,000m² Civic / Community, 55,000m² retail and commercial and 74,000m² Industrial.

Sustainability, Energy & Renewables Strategy

In addition to the Utilities Infrastructure, DSSR was appointed to develop sustainability, energy and renewables strategies for the site. As the site will be developed over a number of years, it was considered essential to have a masterplan strategy that was flexible enough to evolve with the site, not only providing innovation potential during the early phases but also the potential to implement further innovative solutions in the future, as these develop.

We approached the challenge by carrying out thermodynamic modelling in outline for every building use and type on the site. This allowed us to build a profile of heating, cooling and electrical loads, and also critically to assess where these occur in different times relative to each other.

This detailed understanding of the “collective” site behaviour allowed them to develop a solution based on energy “swapping” between buildings and areas; buildings requiring heating at any point in time receive this from buildings rejecting heat, before looking to the primary plant to provide this heat source.

Ravenscraig was the second project in the world to be awarded a BREEAM Communities Excellent award.