News

Arup partners with IHG and Schneider Electric to deliver net zero hotels

Simon Gill Simon Gill Associate Director,Winchester
29 October 2021

In partnership with IHG and Schneider Electric, we have applied the net zero methodology outlined in our co-authored white paper “Transforming Existing Hotels to Net Zero Carbon”, and assessed the impact of a range of measures to further decarbonise two existing IHG hotels in Scotland.

It is widely acknowledged that this decade needs to be one of climate action. Without taking bold steps now, we will not be able to achieve the net zero carbon target set for 2050 and avert climate catastrophe. With 80% of 2050 building stock already existing today, we must prioritise decarbonising what we already have.

With so many of our world leaders converging in Glasgow for COP26 we, along with IHG and Schneider Electric, believed it was imperative to raise awareness of the importance of transforming existing buildings to net zero.

Two of the hotels that COP guests will be staying at, the Kimpton Blythswood Square and Kimpton Charlotte Square, have already taken strides towards decarbonising. But now they have a roadmap to drive them to net zero.

We are proud to be working with IHG and Schneider Electric on this piece to support the continued decarbonisation of IHG hotels and tackle the operational net zero carbon challenge for existing hotels. Together, we can continue to create buildings of the future and preserve our planet for all generations. ” Simon Gill Simon Gill Associate Director

We explored the measures already implemented by IHG as well the impact of potential future measures that would enable IHG to transform these hotels to net zero carbon. Our videos of Blythswood Square and Charlotte Square showcase proposed changes to operations through improvements to control and monitoring, passive measures such as improving the thermal performance of the building fabric, active measures that improve the efficiency of systems, and generating renewable energy on site. 

Blythswood Square

To view this video, you must enable cookies.
To view this video, you must enable cookies.