News
Britain's Greenest Service Area to open in Wetherby
10 March 2008
The greenest motorway service area in Britain will open for business this summer near Wetherby.
The site, owned and operated by Moto, the country’s biggest service area operator, will use the very latest technology to cut power consumption and reduce carbon emissions as well as providing ponds and woodland for wildlife habitats.
When completed, the service area – at junction 46 of the A1(M) – will set industry standards for environmentally responsible and sustainable developments.
Tony Raven, Moto’s Property Director, said: “We are committed to achieving high environmental standards through the exploration of new ideas, new materials and new technologies, all of which are embraced by our new Wetherby service area. We believe the site will provide a bench mark for future developments of commercial buildings in the hospitality industry.”
- Heat and cooling for the service area’s main building will be provided by ground sourced heat pumps.
- Ventilation will be by natural means.
- Water will be heated by a solar panel array augmented by heat exchangers and a highly efficient gas-powered condensing boiler.
- An extraction borehole will provide water for toilet flushing and landscape irrigation.
The ground sourced heat pumps take advantage of the natural constant temperature of the earth a few metres down – between 11° and 12° Centigrade – to produce low temperature hot water for heating in winter and cold water for cooling in summer.
This energy from the ground is collected in a series of 100 metre-deep looped boreholes located beneath the car park. Circulating water through this looped pipework brings about an exchange of heat between the ground and the water which will provide 75 per cent of the building’s heating and cooling requirements.
The positioning of the MSA amenity building also plays a part in its heating and ventilation by taking advantage of its west-facing orientation and the prevailing south-westerly wind direction.
A solar panel array on the flat-decked roof above the kitchens and plant room will provide 10 per cent of the domestic hot water supply, backed up by heat exchangers and a highly efficient gas powered condensing boiler.
Solar neutral glass ensures that the low winter sun makes a direct contribution to heating the building but does not store heat energy in summer. On really hot summer days, the floor slab will absorb heat build-up as well as the heat given off by cooking equipment in the kitchens. A large overhanging roof also provides summer shade.
When the internal temperature reaches 18°C strategically placed louvres in the windows will open to give natural ventilation, making for a more pleasant atmosphere for customers and staff alike. It also helps prevent moisture damage to the structure and means huge savings in investment, operating costs and energy consumption because a large volume ventilation plant is not needed.
Outside, key wildlife “corridors” for species such as badgers and bats have been identified and will be retained and protected. The Broad Wath stream, which runs from east to west and is potentially home to water voles, toads, kingfishers and otters, will also be retained and protected.
As part of a sustainable urban drainage system for the site, two balancing ponds will be created to collect storm water and control its discharge into local water courses, thereby reducing the potential for flooding. The site will also feature swales, shallow grass channels that will feed surface water into the balancing ponds from the eastern boundary and from alongside the HGV parking area. The swales will also provide a damp grassland habitat for amphibians.
A new woodland covering 2.5 hectares will be planted to complement Sugden Wood, a designated Ancient Woodland and Site of Special Scientific Interest, which is close to the site. The new wood will comprise mainly oak, ash and hazel with a native shrub layer.
