Mike Forster, development director at Easter Group, has come 10th in Property Week's "Green Heroes" top 20 for his work on Butterfield Luton.
The list included environmental leaders in the property industry, including key names from Urban Splash, Zed Homes and English Partnerships. Ken Livingstone topped the list of Green Heroes.
#10 Mike Forster, Easter Group
Business park developer Easter Group has gone to great lengths to avoid installing energy-hungry air conditioning at its Butterfield park on the edge of Luton. In its place is a network of buried pipes that spreads up to 80 metres around the park.
Air is drawn through the pipes into the buildings. The constant temperature of the earth means the air emerges cool in summer and partially warmed in winter, which means the heating system has to work less hard.
Development director Mike Forster says the underground pipe system cost no more than air conditioning would have done. 'Making buildings more energy efficient is the way to address climate change,' he says.
Source: Property Week, 20th October 2006, p.99