Demolition Goes Green with Calthorpe Estates

May 2008

Just twenty years ago, having a green office probably meant it was painted an interesting colour. But over the last two decades, the issue of sustainability and the need for green credentials have become a top priority for developers and customers alike.

Any regeneration project that property investor and developer Calthorpe Estates undertakes is designed with its wider environmental impact in mind, as director of development Mark Lambert, explains:

“We take a holistic view in managing the 610 hectare estate, with the aim of driving economic development in partnership with social and environmental concerns, core to our approach.

“This demands a strong commitment to sustainability, which for Calthorpe Estates goes beyond simply ensuring our £350 million portfolio of new developments have green credentials; to carefully managing the environmental impact of how we deal with existing structures.”

In a prime, strategic location near the Five Ways island, Edgbaston Galleries is the largest regeneration project of a principal gateway to Birmingham city centre. With planning consent for: 159,300 sq ft of Grade A office space, 108,600 sq ft of leisure and retail facilities (including a foodstore), hotel accommodation and 800 car parking spaces; the £110 million scheme will create a high quality environment for work and leisure.

But before work can start on the new 424,500 sq ft development, the existing 1960s Edgbaston Shopping Centre, complete with a 52 metre tall office tower, needed to be demolished.

With a strong track record of sustainability, including recent office schemes at 19 George Road and the new Calthorpe House both being awarded a BREEAM* Offices ‘Excellent’ rating, Calthorpe Estates applied the same principles when planning the demolition with the appointment of Birmingham-based Coleman and Co.

Coleman and Co is a pioneering demolition contractor with a leading reputation in sustainability. Operating from its head office in Great Barr, constructed predominantly from material recycled from demolition projects, the company clearly practices what it preaches.

James Howard, strategic development manager with Coleman and Co, explains: “Sustainability is really just a new buzz word. Coleman and Co, like other demolition contractors, have been reusing and recycling from jobs for years. It is a fundamental part of the business and makes sound financial sense.

“Where Coleman and Co are at the forefront is our work towards maximising recycling efficiency, with the likes of the Waste Resource Action Programme (WRAP) and National Industrial Symbiosis Programme. With our two plants on the outskirts of Birmingham and an extensive range of mobile plant, we’re ideally placed to help city centre developers like Calthorpe Estates cut costs without sacrificing the green credentials of a project.”

With Coleman and Co managing the demolition and site clearance of Edgbaston Shopping Centre, it is estimated around 96% of the material will be recycled, with a proportion going into the new build at Edgbaston Galleries.

Scrap metals, timber, glass, plasterboard and concrete is separated at the point of demolition and sent to specialist recycling facilities. Some concrete rubble is crushed on site with mobile crushing equipment to produce recycled aggregate, specified for incorporation into the new building. By using recycled materials generated on-site in their new project, companies like Calthorpe Estates can make cost savings on the transport of raw materials and ultimately reduce their environmental impact.

Howard continues: “David Coleman, our managing director, saw this opportunity over twenty years ago when he purchased the first mobile crusher in Birmingham. Since then, Coleman and Co has become a national exemplar for other companies producing recycled aggregates.

“Our processes are constantly being improved year-on-year, meaning we’re able to produce better quality products more efficiently, under what are effectively manufacturing conditions. The standard sizes and high quality materials we produce are certified contaminant free and directly comparable to primary materials used for many construction applications.

“With growing costs for landfill and the introduction of Site Waste Management Plans from April 6th this year, there will be an increased emphasis on recycling on site as a new way of reducing costs and environmental impact.”

Combined with the fact that recycled material currently sells at a reduced cost, businesses like Calthorpe Estates have a real opportunity to improve their bottom line on a build project such as Edgbaston Galleries.

Lambert adds: “With a presence nearing 300 years in Edgbaston, Calthorpe Estates has a long history of investing in the land to preserve and enhance this unique environment for the benefit of future generations. This ranges from prohibiting warehouses and workshops being built on the Estate in the 18th century to our current tree planting and monitoring programme, ‘Streetscape’.

“Edgbaston Shopping Centre has had its day in terms of design and function but we realised that the material from which it had been constructed still had a use, hence our decision to appoint Coleman and Co.

“Salvaging building material costs more, because more labour is involved, but savings are made on aggregates, building material and landfill costs.

“Just as importantly, recycling and reusing, demonstrates a commitment to creating truly sustainable projects. We are constantly working to maintain the positive legacy of a great environment for businesses, residents and visitors. Edgbaston Galleries will enhance the area by creating a vibrant, quality environment for work and leisure whilst contributing to the wider continued urban renaissance of Birmingham.”

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