Kier Group: Building a sustainable future

One of the many ways in which Kier is helping to meet climate goals is by building lower-carbon buildings across a variety of sectors including education, logistics and leisure:

• In East London, for example, the comprehensive school Mulberry Academy London Dock has been built to Passivhaus standards, maximising heat and energy conservation and lowering embodied carbon.
• A large new warehouse in Bracknell developed by Kier Property, one of Kier’s four divisions, is one of the world’s best in its category as rated by the BREEAM sustainability assessment method, the fourth highest globally out of the more than 4,000 similar projects rated.
• In Exeter, St Sidwell’s Point is the UK’s first Passivhaus-standard, ultra-low-carbon leisure centre, designed to save up to 70% on annual energy costs.

Recent LSEG research finds that 34% of large and medium-sized listed companies reference adaptation measures in their annual disclosures [Note 3] and describes increasing spending on adaptation and resilience as “a new growth vector for the green economy.” Kier sees opportunities for growth reflected in this research.

Kier is at the forefront of ensuring the resilience of the UK’s infrastructure. “Much of it was not built to cope with warmer, wetter winters and hotter, drier summers, so we do a huge amount of refurbishment to set it up for our future climate,” says Stone. As part of its integrated, 360-degree approach to its projects, Kier focuses on future-proofing buildings and infrastructure for the UK’s future climate and on low-carbon construction methods, in order to actively reduce the carbon footprint of its projects. These include using low-carbon concrete alternatives and implementing modern methods of construction (MMC), such as off-site manufacturing and modular construction, which play a key role in reducing waste and energy used on site. Kier uses digital construction tools like Building Information Modelling (BIM) to optimise material use and improve energy performance. Design has an integral part to play in energy efficiency and climate resilience. Kier aims to ensure buildings are sustainable not just during construction, but throughout their lifecycle.

Tied in with its commitment to sustainability is a determination to leave a positive legacy. In Yorkshire, HMP Millsike is the UK’s first all-electric prison, using solar panels, heat pumps and efficient lighting systems, approximately a quarter of the energy used to heat a typical Victorian prison.
But the legacy goes beyond the buildings. It has provided almost 800 jobs for local people, employed 92 apprentices and trainees, and supported local businesses, with 45% of the project spend based within 50 miles of the site.
Kier’s ‘Making Ground’ positive action programme provides training and employment opportunities to people with convictions, either during or following the completion of their sentence. At HMP Millsike, more than 100 people gained work experience or employment through the programme.
Stone adds that the prison is “set up for rehabilitation and so delivers improved outcomes for serving prisoners, as well as for people leaving prison.”

The value of having the Green Economy Mark is that “it proves we walk the talk,” says Stone. “Very succinctly, the Green Economy Mark demonstrates to our investors and our clients that our solutions are generating environmental benefits. It shows we are delivering on our purpose – which is to sustainably deliver infrastructure which is vital to the UK.”