Bridge-5 Mill is an example of environmental design with high energy efficiency systems, a high standard of insulation, renewable energy sources and non-toxic and recycled materials used throughout. This was acknowledged in 2001 when MERCi won Manchester Civic Society's award for Manchester 's most energy efficient building.
The philosophy behind the Refurbishment of Bridge-5 Mill
Making the refurbishment sustainable was a more complex process than perhaps it would seem at first, with a wide number of competing issues. For example is it more sustainable to buy a product that is more efficient from Sweden, or a less `eco-tech' product made locally? And what if the company who sells a certain product that has a high environmental rating, happens to be a road building company or owned by an arms trade company?
To make this process easier and to try to keep the decisions consistent, MERCi developed its Refurbishment of Bridge-5 Mill Environmental Policy [pdf]. Part of this is a hierarchy of issues to be considered when making decisions about what to buy. The policy required building materials to be assessed in the following order of preference:
Non-toxic (especially by avoiding PVC plastic)
Reclaimed
Locally produced
Reusable
Recycled
Renewable
Recyclable
As this hierarchy would only cover the product and not the supplier the policy also acknowledged the need to: ` Ask suppliers to provide environmental and ethical information about their products and practices so that those which disregard the environment, human well-being or animal welfare may be avoided'.
From the outset of establishing a Centre for Sustainable Living an existing building was desired rather than constructing a new building on open land. A strict environmental criteria was applied to the design of the refurbishment and all materials were assessed for their environmental impact.
Some of the things we did to reduce the Bridge-5 Mills' impact on the local and global environment can be seen on the following pages, energy and materials.
Quotes about Bridge-5 Mill
" What a great building it is too - if only I lived there! "
Quote from Manchester Civic Society
" Sustainable practices such as respect for local building materials and traditions, and the preservation of the building character is applauded. "
Jeff Gibson - Energy Council.
" Use of recycled materials, particularly for insulation is applauded "
Jeff Gibson, Energy Council.
