This campaign has now closed
National Energy Action (NEA) is launching a capital appeal of £7 million to support the development of a zero carbon refurbishment of two nineteenth century industrial buildings associated with George and Robert Stephenson.
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Situation
The Grade II listed buildings, which are located to the South of the Central Station in the centre of Newcastle upon Tyne, will provide office accommodation for NEA and a number of other Newcastle or North East based voluntary or not-for-profit organisations. There has already been some interest in the concept from the local voluntary sector. The building will build on and enhance NEA’s long standing Environmental Policy and the charity’s commitment to be a zero carbon organisation. In addition to office accommodation, there will be exhibition/ teaching/ events space which will provide an opportunity to promote the specific technologies and the general concept of reducing carbon emissions to a wide range of audiences including architects and engineers, school and other students, installers and maintenance contractors and the general public. In additional to the physical “class room” there will also be a virtual class room in the form of a web site which will provide a global opportunity to learn form the development and operation of the building. These activities will build on NEA’s current education and training work. By converting nineteenth century industrial buildings into zero carbon office accommodation, the development will place the North East of England, the birth place of the carbon economy, in the forefront of the development of the zero carbon economy. This will be given added significance by the association of the buildings with George and Robert Stephenson, two of the pioneers of the industrial revolution. It will give Newcastle and the Region a national and an international profile in the move to reduce carbon emissions from existing buildings. Benefits for Newcastle include: * A landmark zero carbon office accommodation for the city; * A living class room to promote awareness of low carbon and renewable technologies; and * A zero carbon cluster of voluntary and not-for-profit organisations in the city.