"The Palm House is one of the biggest energy users on the site. As it's a tropical glasshouse, it must be kept at about 20°C all year round, which takes around 15% of all the gas we use. Kew hopes to use the refurbishment to decarbonise the building and potentially make it a net-zero project."
"Last refurbished in the 1980s, the Palm House's structure has been increasingly affected by high humidity and poor ventilation. The new project aims not only to repair the building but also to transform it into what Kew hopes will become a benchmark for the sustainable renovation of historic glasshouses."
"The Heritage Fund has awarded £240,000 in development funding to help the project team refine its plans, carry out condition surveys and test technical solutions. If the proposals are approved at the next stage, the project could receive a further grant of up to £10 million towards the overall cost of £60 million."
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew has received initial funding to support a £60 million refurbishment of its Victorian Palm House, a 19th-century glasshouse at the heart of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The structure has deteriorated significantly due to decades of exposure to the humid tropical climate required for plant preservation. Last refurbished in the 1980s, the building now suffers from humidity damage and poor ventilation. The National Lottery Heritage Fund awarded £240,000 in development funding to refine plans and conduct surveys, with potential for an additional £10 million grant. The project aims to restore the building while establishing it as a benchmark for sustainable historic glasshouse renovation. A key objective involves reducing the Palm House's substantial energy consumption, which currently accounts for approximately 15% of Kew's gas usage due to year-round tropical temperature maintenance.
#historic-building-restoration #sustainable-energy-retrofit #heritage-funding #climate-control-systems #net-zero-architecture
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