Jaguar Land Rover claims new training academy is greener by design

Jan 28 2009 by Anna Blackaby, Birmingham Post

Jaguar Land Rover does not just build some of the greenest luxury cars on the markets, it claims its buildings are pretty eco-friendly as well.

The company recently opened its new Technical Academy for training dealer technicians and apprentices in a building on the Heathcote Industrial Estate in Warwick that was previously occupied by an educational publisher.

The building, which replaces training facilities previously based at JLR’s design and engineering headquarters at nearby Gaydon and at the Jaguar assembly plant at Castle Bromwich, Birmingham, occupies more than 43,000 sq ft of floor space.

It comprises a large workshop containing examples of the company’s latest vehicles, components and systems for hands-on training and 16 classrooms.

Academy manager Adrian Birch believes it is the best-equipped automotive training facility of its type.

But the company is just as keen to promote its green credentials.

When renovating the building, JLR joined forces with chemicals company BASF which offered advice on how to source sustainable materials and maximise its environmental efficiency.

Instead of using conventional air conditioning, for example, the design team chose to use an innovative BASF plasterboard consisting of microscopically small polymer spheres containing a wax storage medium.

When the temperature rises, the wax absorbs heat and melts. When it gets colder, the wax solidifies and emits heat.

“This ensures a more uniform room temperature without the carbon emissions and costs associated with conventional air conditioning,” JLR said.

The renovated building also includes rainwater harvesting tanks, solar/thermal heating, solar water heating, high efficiency lighting and spray foam insulation.

The improvements will save more than 275 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year, JLR said.