Chichester District Council commissioned RLF for a new £6.9m city centre museum. The project aims for the development to achieve a renewable energy target of 40%. The installation of a biomass boiler solution will play a crucial role in achieving this target and to reduce the building’s carbon footprint.

The museum will retain its archaeological history with plans to build above and around existing insitu roman archaeological remains of the roman thermal baths. The pilae and part of the hypocaust are to be excavated and included in a permanent display in the main entrance.

The prestigious Enfield Library project, for which RLF was commissioned as cost consultants, was officially completed on June 25th, 2010. Enfield Council invested over £5m to sustainably restore the 100 year old library, including sourcing renewable energy from 100 metres below the ground to heat the building and bore holes cut into the walls for cooling during the summer.

RLF is also involved in a sustainable project with East Sussex County Council to project manage the construction of Creative Learning Centres which will be used to deliver the new Environmental & Land Based Diploma qualification offered to 14 – 19 year olds. Architect for the project, Michael Cook Associates, has designed the structures to ensure sustainable energy use, qualifying the building for a BREEAM rating of Excellent. Sustainable technologies including rammed earth walls, green roofs and air source heat pumps will be used to significantly reduce the CO2 output and overall energy usage.

Steven Barker, Senior Partner, Robinson Low Francis, commented: “As the industry moves forward to low energy and environmentally sustainable buildings, we are very pleased to be involved with these three exciting projects that will strengthen our expertise in this growing area.

“In our view it is essential that project managers incorporate sustainability from the outset of a project in order to significantly impact the overall cost, time frame and quality.”