Fulcrum is engaged in a series of projects intended to enhance our position as innovators in the field of environmental control, sustainability and low energy building design. Andy Ford, a recognised champion of innovation in the industry, is director of R & D.
Research is aimed at development of new solutions and potential products, and at advancing knowledge in our field in order to prepares for potential applications that would break new ground in terms of sustainable development.

 

Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage

Fulcrum identified an existing technology known as Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage that was used in Holland to balance winter cold and summer heat gains by storing heat and cooling capacity between the seasons (interseasonal heat storage). This technology uses the underground aquifers that are almost uniform across Holland. Fulcrum formed a strategic alliance with the leading Dutch experts it the field, IF Technology. The project that Fulcrum is undertaking is to analyse the aquifers of the UK, which are highly variable, and identify their capability to store heat, in order to unlock the great potential for reducing Carbon emissions due to heating and cooling of buildings, including existing buildings, in the UK.

Work in progress on the Project has been presented at the CIBSE Annual Conference 2005.
The project has been expanded in summer 2005 to include London South Bank University, through the use of a Knowledge Transfer Partnership scheme. It is continuing into 2006 with an extended brief to look at ways in which heat storage can reduce the Carbon footprint of existing buildings.

Hospital Bed Cross Contamination prevention

This project was carried out jointly in conjunction with Lifschutz Davidson Architects. The objective was to design a hospital bed that could use an integrated airflow management system to prevent cross contamination. The design was intended to specifically address the issue of spread of infectious diseases in hospitals.

 

Zero Carbon Zero Waste engineering for a sustainable community (Z-squared)

This project is part of a larger project by BioRegional Consultants to develop a concept for large scale communities that could follow the ‘One Planet Living’ concept as defined by the World Wildlife Fund. The project focuses on environmental engineering and electrical systems for a mixed community of around 2000 dwellings with associated neighbourhood infrastructure, with particular reference to heating and cooling demand and renewable energy sources to deliver an overall zero Carbon footprint within a viable building development framework. Innovative waste treatment arrangements were also developed. Architectural design is by Foster and Partners.

The project has been presented at a number of leading conferences, including the Thames Gateway conference in 2005. It has also been presented to the Energy Group of the Greater London Authority, and has been adopted by the GLA as a potential model for flagship Z-squared projects in each of the London Boroughs.