Reimagining traditional construction processes at the SEGRO Logistics Park Northampton, Winvic is leading the field in sustainable net zero practices by striving to reduce its carbon footprint and protect the planet.
Responsible for one of the largest and most complex Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project’s in the UK, Winvic is delivering a 35 acre strategic rail freight interchange as net zero carbon in construction. The project comprises of: 4.5km of new rail track; a 170m rail tunnel; reconfiguration of a motorway junction including a 2.5km by-pass with bridges; and enabling works for a 5 million sqft warehousing and logistics hub.
To unlock opportunities to reduce carbon emissions and set measurable targets, the company knew it needed to start with verifiable baseline data. A typically lengthy and costly process, the team faced a huge challenge in trying to source data for +70 products. Through collaboration with its suppliers and BRE, Winvic were able to obtain the necessary Environmental Product Declarations and embodied carbon information to form the basis of its decarbonisation plan.
The team’s strategy included:
- Keeping materials on site and reusing them wherever possible. Salvaged materials typically have a much lower embodied carbon footprint than new materials since they have already been manufactured.
- Switching to more efficient vehicles.
- Sourcing materials locally as much as possible to reduce travel.
- Encouraging its supply chain to schedule deliveries more efficiently.
- Preventing partially-full delivery vehicles by ordering with a single supplier where possible.
- Implementing a new tracking management system to monitor, record and report on the carbon footprint of all deliveries.
To date the project has achieved a 36% reduction in carbon emissions including:
Earthworks
- Retaining 1,336,643.30m3 of material onsite for landscaping bunds and wetland areas, resulting in a saving of 148,515 vehicles leaving the site and 7,978 tonnes of carbon.
- Gaining efficiencies using 3D computer modelling and digitally linked semi-automated construction plant to reduce construction costs, and remove carbon emissions associated with imported fill and less traffic.
- Balancing 4.8 million cubic metres of cut and fill
Materials
- Setting up an onsite concrete batching plant, reducing transport by 50%.
- Recycling all water rather than using a supply of portable water.
- Reusing 1,108,430 used milk bottles for the site’s drainage system, saving 62% of carbon.
- Procuring all steel with a minimum 25-30% recycled content.
Fuel and transport
- Saving 90% of carbon using hybrid fuel.
- Using reduced-emission fuels, saving 607 tonnes of carbon (Jan 2023).
- Installing a battery back-up generator for site accommodation using excess energy from the generator to charge its battery cells, achieving a reduction of 92 tonnes of carbon.
- Using solar power for all temporary lights.