What's behind the green door?
August 1st 2007 Claiming to be the greenest distribution facility in Europe, the new ProLogis Park
Pineham site is home to Sainsbury's flagship DC. Alongside its products, Hörmann's
environmental management systems helped land a major loading bay contract
Hörmann UK has supplied the
loading bay equipment for the
ground-breaking new flagship
building at ProLogis Park Pineham,
Northamptonshire. The 618,500 sq ft
structure will be used as a regional
distribution centre for Sainsbury's and is the
largest building on the 112 acre site.
The entire distribution facility is set to be
the 'greenest' in Europe featuring all the
latest technologies and modern
construction methods devised to reduce
carbon emissions and environmental
impact.
Energy-saving additions include wallmounted
photovoltaic panels that generate
electricity, solar walls that produce heat
from sunlight, energy efficient lighting and
an on-site power plant that reuses the heat
produced by air conditioning. There is an
on-site recycling facility and energy loss
through the external fabric of the building
is minimised thanks to air-tight
construction.
The site goes further to incorporate a
rain water system capable of harvesting 16
million litres of water per annum which will
be utilised in a variety of processes. Even
local wildlife and vegetation has been
brought into the equation as there are
plans in place to create an ecological
corridor which will enable animals and
plants to form a natural habitat.
Alan Jenkins, Hörmann UK's Industrial
Commercial Director, acknowledges there is
immense pressure on all industry, especially
in the UK, to be environmentally
responsible. "We are constantly exploring
ways to further reduce the impact of our
products and services on the environment,"
says Jenkins. "Hörmann was chosen to
install the loading bay equipment on this
particular project because the Group utilises
effective environmental management
systems in order to reduce the
environmental impact of the manufacture
and transportation of its products, keeping
in line with the overall necessary criteria for
this building and the distribution park as a
whole.
"There is no doubt that strong
sustainability credentials will be become
mandatory on future projects and all
suppliers and manufacturers need to
address their carbon footprint sooner rather
than later."
Minimising energy wastage in the
factory and incorporating energy efficient
packaging and delivery methods are just
some of the measures taken by the
Hörmann Group to minimise its carbon
footprint, which is measured by calculating
the energy use throughout product
lifecycle. Over the life of a typical building
in the UK the embodied carbon footprint
accounts for approximately 30% of all the
energy used in the manufacture and
operating of the building.
Hörmann has been able to assist with
reducing carbon emissions by installing 45
80mm thick DPU loading bay doors at the
flagship Sainsbury's warehouse, which will
operate with an overall negative carbon
footprint. The DPU doors are specifically
designed for fresh-food logistics and the
high thermal insulation minimises
temperature loss which effectively reduces
energy wastage and carbon emissions.
These specially designed double-skinned
steel doors are filled with PU foam and
feature double bottom and lintel seals
which increase sealing tightness and
further reduce energy loss.
The double-skinned steel sections feature
a thermal break between the inner and
outer faces which help to produce a
thermal resistance value of up to 0.7 W /
m2K and helps to reduce condensation on
the inside of the door.
Hörmann has installed a total of 92
loading bays to the distribution centre as
well as wheel guides, traffic lights,
telescopic dock levellers and bespoke
control panels specifically designed for
Sainsbury's. More articles from Hormann UK Ltd: | 
