Restoring our world through refurbishment

"The Centre of Refurbishment Excellence (CoRE) is a partnership between private industry, Stoke City Council, Stoke on Trent College and the Building Research Establishment. It provides, in a purpose built complex marrying the old and the new, an exhibition space and a national training facility in the techniques and materials needed to refurbish the UK housing stock to the highest modern standards.

CoRE is central to supporting the UK construction sector as it strives for business excellence and a world leading position by integrating modern sustainable refurbishment practices into its corporate strategies.

Based in Stoke-on-Trent – a city living through large scale regeneration – CoRE is transforming a derelict Victorian pottery factory into a 6000 sq m centre of excellence and knowledge transfer link to sustainable refurbishment.

The first phase of CoRE - a construction training college supported by the Department of Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), - opens in Autumn 2011. The next phase will unveil an impressive demonstration zone for innovative products, materials and systems developed for the refurbishment arena.

The venue…

CoRE is a vital hub bringing together all key stakeholders in the retrofit community.

At the heart of the historic building will be a 1,000 sq m BREEAM standard demonstration facility built over two floors and incorporating three historic bottle kilns
CoRE’s Knowledge Platform will provide a network to share best practice and foster collaboration across the industry
Vast exhibition space will provide a showcase for sustainable refurbishment products with demonstration space for ‘house size’ constructions as well as numerous areas where manufacturers’ new products, components and materials can be launched to a highly engaged audience
CoRE’s outstanding conferencing facilities will host national and international events and industry-focused seminars.

Education…

Education is at the heart of CoRE’s success as it helps create a skilled workforce able to meet the changing demands of construction:

It will help create a workforce trained to the highest standards. Many SME’s need formal certification to enable them to bid for local authority or social housing contracts. CoRE will deliver this training both on-site and by distance learning
CoRE will provide routes to ‘compacts’ - bite sized pieces of learning - for easy access to all across the learning spectrum
CoRE’s demonstration space adds a new dimension to training – with living, working models and exhibitions which can be used to train all types of construction related tradespeople and business owners as well as management level professionals on site.

Training packages will be developed to support businesses and exciting new industry developments to ensure up-to-the minute learning.

Information about the CoRE Technology Building …

BREEAM Rating: Excellent (70%)
Basic Building Cost - £2.3 million
Services Costs - £520,000
External Works - £157,521
Gross floor area – 1,300m2
Total area of site – 0.13 hectares
Function areas and their size - 864m2
Area of circulation - 368m2
Area of storage - 68m2
% area of grounds to be used by community (where relevant)
% area of buildings to be used by community (where relevant)
Predicted electricity consumption – 45.63 kWh/m2
Predicted fossil fuel consumption - 29.35 kWh/m2
Predicted renewable energy generation – 16.28 kWh/m2
Predicted water use - m3/person/year - 0.3655 m3/person/year
% predicted water use to be provided by rainwater or grey water – None
•The steps taken during the construction process to reduce environmental impacts, i.e.

• Use of local, renewable and sustainable materials,

• P.V panels have been installed to help aid the energy consumption of the building

• A intelligent Building Management System has been implemented, this manages the buildings services and ensures it optimises the buildings usage and energy output
The steps taken during the construction process to reduce environmental impacts, i.e: Use of local, renewable and sustainable materials, P.V panels have been installed to help aid the energy consumption of the building, A intelligent Building Management System has been implemented, this manages the buildings services and ensures it optimises the buildings usage and energy output