News

As part of our support for NHS Forest, we were delighted to donate 4000 trees to Pinderfields Hospital site.

Utilising volunteers from within the Trust and the local community, several planting days were undertaken resulting in the trees being planted along the 900m perimeter of site.

Hedgerows are an integral part of the UK’s landscape, where not only are they complex ecosystems that make up the nation’s largest linear wildlife habitat, but they also offer a wealth of further benefits to their surrounding localities, including reduced flooding risk, carbon sequestration, and biodiversity enhancement, in addition to positive health impacts such as alleviating air pollution, heat regulation, and noise reduction, and wider social and operational contributions like visual amenity and enhanced security. Unfortunately, they are disappearing at an alarming rate, with over half the UK’s hedgerows having vanished since the post-war period, equating to around 118,000 miles lost.

The whips planted consist of a double run of mixed native broadleaf species over a length of almost one kilometre, in what is thought to be the longest new hedgerow created on an NHS site within England in recent times.

Space

To provide the greatest impact, the area the Trust chose for the new hedgerow was along the Northern and Eastern boundaries of the hospital. These are along the two most busy roads for the site; Bar Lane and Aberford Road. The distance spans around 900m (0.56 miles) in total, with varying ecology such as shady wooded areas and open grassland. Invasive species, such as cherry laurel, first required removal.

Health & Social Benefits

• Air quality improvements – absorption of pollutants such as nitrous oxides & particulate matter
• Noise/wind reduction – hedgerows attenuate noise and act as a wind break
• Security & privacy – segregating areas that can be utilised for wellbeing areas
• Reducing flooding/soil erosion – increased water retention, via slowing surface water run-off and extensive root networks help to maintain soil integrity
• Cooling/thermal regulation – hedges provide shade & reduce ‘urban heat island’ effects and issues like wind-chill

Environmental Benefits

The hedgerow consists of a double run of mixed native broadleaf, which will sequester carbon as it grows, and once established, it will significantly enhance biodiversity within the local area. A species rich hedgerow (11 spp.) has been created in which a huge array of lichens, insects, animals, and microorganisms will co-exist, providing nesting sites for birds and refuges for small animals, in addition to pollen, nectar, fruit, and leaves as a vital food source.

Glasgow Office

Cancer Research Shine Night Walk

Led by Carina McKinney, an Associate in the Glasgow office, DSSR is hosting a 10k night time walk fundraiser for Cancer Research UK. She is leading a group of colleagues to raise as much as possible to help beat cancer by taking part in the Shine Night Walk Glasgow 2024.

The Shine Night Walk is an illuminating night-time event where walkers pass through their city’s famous landmarks as part of a 10k walk. Organised by Cancer Research UK, several similar events take place in cities across the UK.

Great North Run for British Heart Foundation

Senior Site Inspector, Billy Blair, is also leading a fundraiser for the Great North Run 2024.

Billy Blair:

“On Sunday 8th September I will be taking part in the 2024 Great North Run, fulfilling a long held ambition.

“My chosen charity is the British Heart Foundation as my family, like many others, has been directly affected by heart disease.

“The British Heart Foundation funds over half of all non-commercial research into heart and circulatory disease carried out in the U.K. supporting £100m of new projects every year giving adults and children born with heart condition the chance to lead a long and healthy life.

“To help fund this worthwhile charity, I would be grateful for any donation made.”

Harrogate Office

The team in Harrogate has recently supported a charity endeavour led by Phil Proctor who is leading the delivery team which is building a specialised Motor Neurone Disease care centre at Seacroft Hospital, Leeds.

Phil completed a 189-mile cycle challenge, going coast to coast from Morecambe to Scarborough, over the 27th to 28th of June. We are proud to have helped raise £6.8 million to build a specialist MND (Motor Neurone Disease) Care Centre in Leeds, to give people living with MND the best quality of life.

Aiding people living with MND to gain the best experience of life along with the best possible care and support, he has had the privilege of working alongside some of the patients in the design process including Rob, each one are remarkable individuals whose positivity in the face of this terminal disease has been truly inspirational.

Manchester Office

The Manchester office is proud to announce a £1,000 donation to the Alzheimer’s Society, a charity chosen through a staff-driven short-listing process.

This collective decision reflects the team’s commitment to supporting vital causes that resonate with us personally and professionally.

We are honoured to contribute to the Alzheimer’s Society’s mission of improving the lives of those affected by dementia, and we take pride in making a meaningful impact within our
community.

The Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Hospital Trust (SaTH) Hospital Transformation Project (HTP) represents a monumental endeavour, with an approximate out-turn cost of £312 million and a construction value of £180 million. This project, stretching from its commencement in December 2023 to the anticipated completion in 2028.

Our Aim

This project aims to enhance healthcare delivery for approximately 500,000 individuals annually, emphasising its pivotal role in providing life-saving emergency care and treatments.

At the heart of this monumental project lies the carefully planned and executed energy centre. Serving as the backbone of the hospital’s infrastructure, this critical component embodies the project’s commitment to sustainability and operational efficiency. The comprehensive scope of works encompasses the enabling and reconfiguration of the existing emergency department, which involves 18 distinct phases. Leveraging limited provisions such as a new Air Handling Unit (AHU) and electrical switch room, the project strategically utilises existing infrastructure to minimise both time and capital expenditure, all while bolstering sustainability credentials.

Noteworthy features

The technical complexity of the energy centre extends far beyond its physical footprint. It involves advanced systems and technologies meticulously integrated to optimise energy usage and reduce carbon emissions. Noteworthy features include a sophisticated thermal heating and cooling networks utilising air source heat pumps, carefully selected to enhance energy efficiency and operational resilience. These initiatives align closely with sustainability targets, positioning the project as a pioneer in healthcare infrastructure development. Through innovative design and strategic planning, the energy centre serves as a testament to DSSR’s commitment to excellence and sustainability in healthcare engineering. Additionally, the project has a target of reaching BREEAM Excellent and aims to meet the NHS Net Zero Carbon Sustainability targets.

More updates coming soon!!!

The annual event sees the energy, renewables and low-carbon energy communities come together for two days of talks and networking opportunities. The event highlights current drivers, trends and challenges we face in the sector and often provides good thought pieces on overcoming these so we can all work together for a cleaner, greener future.

A vital date on renewable and low carbon energy industry calendars, the event provides the power of expertise, knowledge and innovative technology to better engineer an integrated net zero energy future with security of supply an increasingly important factor.

The DSSR team attended a range of talks, including the below:

‘The new National Energy System Operator (NESO)’

Here, we learned more about the responsibilities of the new NESO organisation.

The Energy Act 2023 gave the Secretary of State the power to establish an Independent System Operator and Planner, a role given to the Electricity System Operator and separated from the rest of the National Grid. Due to be established on July 1st 2024, and known as the National Energy System Operator (NESO), this body will have a wide range of responsibilities including energy system planning for net zero and promoting the security of supply.

This session dug into what the NESO’s role will mean in practice, what key benefits it will bring to the energy system transition and how it is likely to work with other key actors such as network users and owners, the Government and the regulator.

‘Renewable energy supply chain impact, a snapshot’

Ensuring the delivery of the country’s renewable energy projects is a Herculean task, and one which requires a vast array of skills, experience and engineering know-how: this is where the supply chain comes in.

This talk highlighted how the country’s supply chain is utilising its expertise, skills and capabilities to deliver specialist work across all renewable energy technologies. It showcased some of the talented businesses managing the engineering, procurement, construction, installation and operation of green energy projects.

‘Under one roof: the social relations and relational work of energy retrofit for the occupants of Multi-owned Properties’

This talk highlighted the challenges of retrofit on multi-tenancy buildings (e.g. tenements).

‘Net Zero; Solutions, Challenges and Opportunities’

This talk was a bit general and promoted a new training academy just outside of Edinburgh which is working to upskill installers in the installation of renewable energy technologies for the domestic sector (ASHPs, PV etc.).

These events are essential to us as designers of modern MEP systems as one of the ways we stay at the forefront of our industry. This year, we were able to explore a range of topics relating to the sustainable built environment, gain a better understanding of the trends and challenges we face in the sector, and collaborate on how to achieve a cleaner, greener future through our field of sustainable building services design.

R&B Distillers has secured planning permission from Argyll and Bute Council for its Machrihanish Distillery, the first farm-to-bottle distillery in Campbeltown in over 180 years. DSSR has been commissioned to provide full building services and sustainability consultancy in relation to the new distillery.

Our client, R&B Distillers, is aiming to create a sustainable net zero distilling model that removes any fossil fuel use from the whisky distilling process. This means they will be creating a unique ‘farm-to-bottle’ single malt, growing and processing their own barley, resulting in a net-zero distilling process. The project also aims to energise much of distillery process by an industrial/commercial grade air source heat pump and utilise a bore hole as the source of the distillery water supply.

We are liaising with the Machrihanish Air Base in relation to the option to source an electrical 11kV connection (i.e. due to the local proximity) as an alternative to a grid connection. We are also providing micro grid options, considering wind, solar and battery storage working in conjunction with the grid/air base connection relative to the distillery base load.

R&B purchased the Dhurrie Farm in Machrihanish in 2021. Having received the green light for the distillery development, they will now work with various stakeholders around environmental guidelines and other conditions before beginning construction on the site next year. Machrihanish distillery will start with whisky production, followed by a full visitor experience, shop, and tasting room.

William Dobbie, Managing Director of R&B Distillers: “Our Machrihanish Distillery news, and Caskshare majority stake, puts us on a clear track towards achieving our vision of becoming the leading new wave spirits business in Scotland.”

The scope of The Christie NHS Trust Decarbonisation Plan involves three phases. We are currently only appointed for Phase 1, focusing on gathering information and developing high-level energy reduction strategies based on site assessments, building functions, and existing plant installations. This includes exploring passive measures, energy-efficient systems, and renewable energy sources following the Mean, Lean, Clean Energy Hierarchy.

Phase 2 entails a detailed site assessment to prioritise energy-saving opportunities and develop strategies for improving thermal and MEP services performance. Discussions with the local Distribution Network Operator (DNO) will begin to address potential electrical infrastructure upgrades required for electrification.

Phase 3 will implement detailed MEP schemes up to RIBA Stage 4 for tender purposes, integrating identified decarbonisation options. Outcomes will be presented in a report detailing energy and carbon savings for each option, along with recommendations and potential costs, supporting The Christie NHS Trust’s commitment to sustainable healthcare infrastructure.

One of the BCO’s primary objectives is to define excellence in office space. As part of this objective, their annual awards programme provides public recognition for top quality design and functionality and a benchmark for excellence in workplaces.

As such, we are very proud to see the state-of-the-art office development for Dentons recognised at this year’s BCO Awards.

DSSR provided BREEAM Advisory Professional services for the 15,000 sq ft CAT B fit-out in the heart of Edinburgh’s latest mixed-use development in Haymarket Square. Our role was to support the Contractor in achieving BREEAM Excellent as per the BREEAM Refurbishment and Fit Out scheme.

Rachel Mason, who was appointed to carry out the role of the BREEAM Advisory Professional (BREEAM AP) throughout this project, will be attending the awards ceremony and is hoping to see Dentons project receive the acclaim it deserves.

For this project, Rachel helped to facilitate the team’s efforts to successfully schedule activities, set priorities and negotiate the trade-offs required to achieve the target BREEAM rating. We are proud to have been part of the design team which ensured all credits required were achieved.

A BREEAM Advisory Professional is a specialist who project teams can turn to for assistance during the BREEAM assessment process. This expert is able to support a project team as they work towards their BREEAM target rating, enhancing the consideration of sustainable design throughout the design and construction process.

In recognition of the significant contribution that a BREEAM AP can make to the design and construction process, additional BREEAM credits are available when a BREEAM AP is engaged.

Appointing one of our BREEAM Advisory Professionals (AP) early in the project helps achieve the highest possible rating. With early engagement, APs will help to avoid impacts on the flexibility of design decisions, budgets and potential solutions by working with the project team to identify which credits should be targeted.

Sustainability Benchmarking is not just a tick box exercise used to demonstrate that a level of good practice has been achieved. It is an integrated approach that forms a key part of the design and the decisions made resulting in exceptional performing buildings.

Click on the button below to find out more about how DSSR’s Sustainability team can support your projects.

DSSR were the proud sponsor of the Wilmslow RUFC tour kit for the U10’s tour of Ireland. DSSR along with 3 other sponsors, provided the tour kit for the team, comprising a playing kit, hoodies, polo’s, beanies, and a rucksack. The tour kit will now become the training kit for the team.

A big congratulations to all of the players from DSSR! The team did very well, winning 3 of their 4 matches played.

We’re passionate about giving back to the community and supporting the next generation of athletes. The values of teamwork, sportsmanship, and dedication that rugby embodies perfectly align with our company culture.

We’re excited to cheer on these young players as they develop their skills and compete over the next season. Here’s to keeping the great form going next year!

The photo for this post is of the boys after a hard-fought match against Coolmine U11s.