Cinema Style

Warehouse Project

August 2008

NEW ECO-CLUB SURYA WAKES THE INDUSTRY UP TO CLIMATE CHANGE

UPFRONT, OTW, August 2008, COMMENTS

It is doubtful that any clubber, in the midst of pounding a dancefloor and flailing their hands in the air, has ever let the mind wandered to thoughts of starving children in Africa. In fact, gluttony, as opposed to deprivation, is a more likely topic of thought – ‘which bar shall I go to for my next drink?’

But the “world’s first eco nightclub” - as it is hailed - in London’s Kings Cross, named Surya, has ironically married together ideas of gluttony and deprivation, in a venue that sees clubbers inadvertently reducing the effects of global warming. Screens showing starving children and plaques to explain how the club operates - for example the glasses are washed in rainwater - are in abundance. The club, which opened on 10 July, has a dancefloor that produces part of the energy requirements for the venue via piezoelectricity, combing the dancing motion people make with materials like quartz crystals, ceramics and cutting-edge technology. Other eco-friendly features are a wind turbine and solar energy system that make the club fully sustainable, air flush, waterless urinals, a full recycling programme and an advanced energy system that will produce surplus energy, which will be donated to nearby residents.

Our industry, which is driven by electricity-consuming technology and mass amounts of drinks packaging and production, has remained relatively untouched by the green message, but it’s one that is slowly creeping onto the agenda. Said Surya figurehead, Andrew Charalambous, or ‘Dr Earth’: “Conscious consumerism is apparent now in every industry. The young generation no longer want to consume a diet of drugs, alcohol and crime. I believe in the young generation, we have to allow them to believe in themselves.” It does seem this message has spread further east across London to Shoreditch, where “the greenest restaurant/bar in the country” stands. Owned by The Shoreditch Trust, the venue was designed and constructed by WFC who used natural products and non-exotic finishes, such as clay-based paint and linoleum flooring from local suppliers, and timber from FSC managed forests. Water House makes its own electricity via 50 giant solar panels on the roof.

In the summer the space will be conditioned using cooling sails suspended from the ceiling. Cold water, generated by a heat pump, is passed through the cooling sails, which provide radiant cooling overhead. Danny Purcell, project manager for WFC, said: “We had to approach things from a completely new angle than normal and sourcing some of the materials proved a real challenge. Attention to detail was paramount with this project, and the benefit of manufacturing a lot of the interior in our own Devon-based metalwork and joinery workshops proved of particular benefit.”
It is not only complete eco-friendly venues that are cropping up, but also green products and materials from suppliers to the industry. The boom in LED lighting has inspired a new wave of lower energy lighting and encouraged companies like Chauvet to focus on greener lines of products. Chauvet has used new, high output LEDs and special lens technologies to reproduce traditional fixtures with a fraction of the energy requirements, whilst maintaining the effect.

Unfortunately there are still operators out there turning a blind eye to the simplest of changes they could make to reduce their carbon footprint, such as recycling bottles. Kate Hodal, Green Living Writer for the Press Association, said: “I know recycling is up to local councils, but it is disgusting how much glass and plastic is thrown away. If anything the festivals this year have proven that it doesn’t take that much to get people thinking about their waste - they need to have the right bins to put things into.” Not for profit company, Julie’s Bicycle, is committed to helping the music industry reduce its carbon footprint and is supporting Live Nation UK President Paul Latham’s initiative to get venues energy-audited; if you don’t know your venue’s carbon footprint, maybe you should get in touch.

From: August 2008 Issue

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