RED Construction Group, the specialist main contractor, has announced the completion of the 4-star voco Zeal Hotel at Exeter Science Park, finalising the construction of the UK’s first branded Net Zero Carbon hotel. Innovations in the design and construction mean the hotel is operating with industry-leading benchmark-setting Energy Use Intensity (EUI) levels, a critical measure that will define building sustainability in the decades to come. The 100% electric hotel, with the UK’s first vertical photovoltaic cladding system, generates more solar energy each year than the building consumes, integrated into multiple facades in a way that enhances the hotel’s overall design. Securing a 70% reduction in operational cost energy, the building has an EUI of less than 60kWh/m2/yr, significantly outperforming the CRREM 2050 target of 95kWh/m2/yr. The building has achieved a 50% reduction in embodied carbon, with less than 750kgCO2e/m2, surpassing the LETI and RIBA 2030 targets for embodied carbon established for commercial buildings. Most importantly, the sustainability achievements were realised at no additional cost, with no compromise to quality. Spanning 54,000 sq ft, the £22m milestone project has achieved these industry-leading metrics through a series of principles agreed at design conception: ensuring a fabric first approach to the envelope design; utilising sustainable low-energy solutions and low embodied carbon materials; and the adoption of green renewable technologies. RED Construction Group’s South West division worked alongside the highly collaborative team of voco Zeal Hotels, ECE Westworks, Introba and Hydrock Bristol, from the outset. The completed 4-star hotel comprises 142 bedrooms, a restaurant and bar with private dining, conference facilities and a gym, as well as electric vehicle and electric bike charging points. RED Construction South West Managing Director, Derek Quinn, commented: “This voco Zeal hotel has got to be an exemplar for all new build hotels, highlighting what is achievable when collaboration and ambition meet. The project team dynamic has been crucial in its success, paving the way from the very outset with a BREEAM Outstanding at the design stage. This is a milestone project for all of our careers, and a prototype for what’s possible, evidence of how our expertise can help deliver projects that put the South West’s innovation on the map nationally.” Tim Wheeldon, Founding Director, Zeal Hotels, added: “Celebrating the construction of the UK’s first branded Net Zero Carbon hotel is a moment we are exceptionally proud of at voco Zeal Hotels. Creating a benchmark for the hotel industry on a global scale required a first-class project team, and RED Construction Group has been a brilliant partner to have through this process, bringing their expertise to the project and going above and beyond to achieve not only the sustainability goals, but at a cost that makes new hotels viable, improving our environment without costing more. This is a first for the industry and we are looking forward to collaborating with other hoteliers and developers regarding additional Net Zero Carbon hotels.” This news follows the announcement that RED Construction Group’s London team has been appointed on the second phase of works for The Sheppard Trust’s £21.8m redevelopment of the former Royal Cambridge Home, involving the demolition and redevelopment of a new 62,000 sq ft facility, Elizabeth Court. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
