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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.

DSSR is providing full Mechanical, Electrical and Public Health design duties in relation to the creation of a new Visitor’s Centre and VIP / Tasting Suite. Duties include energy compliance modelling for the new construction, together with site infrastructure consultancy.

Established in 1825 in the town of Brechin, Glencadam is one of the oldest distilleries in Scotland and the only remaining distillery within the Angus region. Whisky has been distilled at this Angus Dundee Distillers site for almost 200 years and the company are in the process of creating a new visitor experience on the site. The site has an internal fully operating working water wheel, and witnessing this in operation will form part of the future visitor tours.

The plans will develop existing buildings to incorporate a unique tour, whisky tasting area, tea room and shop, all designed to celebrate the history and heritage of Glencadam, one of the oldest distilleries in Scotland.

The designs will retain the original sandstone facade of the existing buildings, together with other integral features that date back almost 200 years, and blend this with some innovative new architecture.

There will also be newly designed offices, meeting rooms and tasting lab for the distillery team, all located in the original floor maltings, which are no longer in operation.

DSSR recently held a collection for easter eggs on behalf of local charity, Possobilities, located within a mile of our Glasgow office in North Glasgow.

The Directors would like to thank everyone for their kindness in donating a large batch of Easter eggs for a good cause. Office Manager, Maureen Campbell, dropped off a grand total of 91 eggs.

The charity has faced a recent lack of food donations, so the Directors at DSSR have also kindly agreed to make a monetary donation to assist with this.

Over the last 33 years, Possobilities has developed into one of the most respected voluntary organisations in the city. They have a proven track record of offering support and respite to disabled and vulnerable people in the community, promoting independent living.

The owners of the Radisson Red Hotel recently bought the nearby listed building, the North Rotunda, and plan to invest £15m to redevelop the building.

Having previously been involved with the MEP design for the South Rotunda, we are excited to now also be involved with the MEP design for the North Rotunda. It is an honour to be able to play a role in bringing this important part of Glasgow’s industrial heritage back into effective use and protecting it for future generations.

Constructed in 1890, the North Rotunda, along with an identical building on the south side of the river, was built originally as an entrance to a vehicular and passenger tunnel under the river Clyde.

The new design will see the creation of ‘The Roundhouse’ on the ground floor, and ‘The Rotunda’ on the upper floors while restoring historic features like the cast iron and glass cupola.

The ground floor space is to be designed with live performances in mind, with two upper floors created for hosting weddings, conferences and other events. Bespoke sound and lighting systems will be installed, along with a new extension and external stairwell, allowing the building to meet modern building regulations.

“Sadly the old building is in a sorry state, but we are prepared to invest heavily in order to restore this architectural gem, bringing a new generation through its doors.

“The North Rotunda is a beautiful old building with some lovely features, either covered up completely or worse, rotting away. We want to restore it and we have worked hard to come up with a design which enhances and showcases those features.

“We see the Rotunda as an important part of Glasgow’s heritage which we are keen to preserve and enhance, while creating a brand new venue to showcase the best of music and live events from Glasgow and beyond.”

Keith Vallance, Construction Director at Forrest Hotels

The North Rotunda is paired with the South Rotunda on the other side of the river. This twin building also underwent a refurbishment and bespoke fit-out, becoming the offices of Malin Marine.

DSSR was also the MEP designer for the historic ‘B’ listed building, helping to develop it into exceptional contemporary office accommodation. Our service included full M&E design, including heating, cooling, ventilation, lighting, domestic water, and fire safety. We also carried out thermal modelling to demonstrate that thermal comfort would be maintained throughout the year.

“Thank you all for a lovely day yesterday. I hope you enjoyed it and thank you for your help!”

Alexis Percival MSc (MEng) BSc
Environmental & Sustainability Manager

As part of our commitment to supporting local charities, we are delighted to support Just ‘B’,  a Harrogate-based specialist bereavement support and emotional wellbeing service helping children, young people, and adults across the communities of North Yorkshire.

Our £1000.00 donation will help more young people process their grief and any trauma they may have experienced. The donation will enable them to deliver 20 hours of one-to-one bereavement support sessions for children and young people. It costs around £50 to run one hour of bereavement support and on average a child has between 6-8 sessions.

However, Just ‘B’ doesn’t limit the number of sessions a young person may need as each child and their experiences are different. For some, they need a safe space to talk and play and for others, they need multiple sessions, time to process, engage in play activities and therapeutic talking. Therefore, DSSR can help more young people process their grief and any trauma they may have experienced.

“We really appreciate DSSR’s generosity, £1000.00 will make a huge difference to the young people we support.”

– Emma Parker, Project Manager, at Just ‘B’

Visit the link below to learn more about Harry’s story, a child whose life has been positively impacted by the support of Just ‘B’.

Harry’s story