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Scheme Details

UK’s first Eco-friendly hostel for familiesinside a 19th Century building

Name: Belvidere Family Centre

Location: Belvidere Road, Princes Park, Toxteth

Organisation: Liverpool Mutual Homes

What did we do?

LMH created the UK’s first Eco-friendly hostel for families at Belvidere Family Centre in 2012. The hostel provides emergency accommodation for homeless families in need of emergency respite.

The building is a 19th century town house built in the Princes Park Conservation Area. Therefore the refurbishment needed to retain the façade of the 1870s Victorian property – complete with marble pillar entrances and intricate window tracery –while an eco-wing was added and modernising and refurbishing the internal area.

A range of green technologies were installed throughout that will see energy bills reduced by 78 per cent some 42 per cent less than if the refurbishment had been limited to current Building Regulations. The eco-elements of the work includes:

  • a rainwater harvesting system that will go towards providing up to 60% of the water to be use
  • solar thermal which heats the hot water
  • solar photovoltaic glass integrated into the atrium which provide electricity
  • air source heat pump – which converts energy from external air into hot water for space heating
  • Green sedum living roof (on the extension)
  • Thermostats fitted to each room regulate temperatures
  • The walls have a 0.15 W/m²k u-value compared to the original 2.4, without significantly increasing wall thickness.
  • Energy efficient windows with low maintenance aluminium frames (1.9 W/m²k) and doors add to the green focus.
  • Roof and floor improvements see u-values as low as 0.10 and 0.2 respectively and under floor heating was fitted throughout.

The project addresses many of LMH’s key priorities: homelessness, supporting people, regeneration and sustainability.

In total approximately £3.6m was spent on the scheme, which now accommodates 16 self-contained apartments housing up to 80 residents.

What was the result?

By using modern energy efficient technologies LMH create modern, sustainable and inspiring facility while maintaining the original building and in keeping with the conservation area.

A video setting out the refurbishment can be viewed from the link below

Lessons Learnt(Positives and Challenges)

  • LMH learnt how to turn a very old property which was thermally inefficient into an eco-friendly building, using modern technologies but in a sympathetic way so that the historic exterior remained in place.

Quote

Chief executive of Liverpool Mutual Homes, Steve Coffey, said: “This scheme addresses many of our key priorities as a social landlord – homelessness, supporting people, regeneration and sustainability.

“The building was dark and desperately in need of modernising.

“People using the centre now have self-contained apartments with private bathrooms and kitchens and a wide range of communal facilities to help them rebuild their lives.

“The scale of the project was enormous.

“It took three months to demolish and clear the internal structures and attach the original building to the new extension while the 140-year-old shell was retained.”

For further information please contact
Contact Name: Julia Thorpe
Contact EmailAddress: / Cost & Funders
£3.6m / Current building emissions rate
36 kgCO2/m2

Address: Liverpool Mutual Homes (LMH), 1 Old Haymarket, Liverpool, L1 6RA

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