The National Library of Wales, in partnership with DB3, is delighted to announce that it has won the Retrofit award at the Constructing Excellence in Wales Awards, in a ceremony held on Friday, 12 June.
The award recognises the Library’s outstanding work in transforming its historic estate through an ambitious retrofit programme that significantly reduces its carbon footprint while securing a more sustainable future.
Rhodri Llwyd Morgan, Chief Executive of the National Library, said:
"We are extremely proud to win this national award. It reflects the Library's commitment to invest responsibly in our historic building, which houses the nation's treasures and memory, while reducing our carbon footprint. With the support of Welsh Government one of the objectives of our Wales and the World strategy is to develop the Library estate and buildings to provide welcoming public spaces, efficient long-term storage for collections, and a workplace fit for future needs.
This project has been a great example of how strong vision by the Board, collaboration with staff and sound financial management can lead to excellent outcomes which means that we continue to serve the needs of the people of Wales in an inclusive and responsive way towards the future."
As a leading organisation in environmental sustainability, with financial support from Welsh Government the Library is making great strides on its journey to become carbon neutral by 2028 with the aim of completely eliminating gas use and reducing carbon emissions. The retrofitting has included the introduction of innovative technologies such as air and ground heat pumps, the installation of 1,622 solar panels, and the implementation of an intelligent building management system to improve energy efficiency.
Iwan Thomas, DB3 representative said:
“It has been a privilege to work with the National Library of Wales on such a pioneering project. This work proves that complex historic buildings can be transformed to meet modern sustainability standards without compromising their heritage value. Winning this award is a testament to high-quality delivery and an exceptional team effort.”
A key part of the project’s success has been the strong collaboration with local contractors and craftspeople in the Aberystwyth area and the Library is extremely thankful to DB3, Aber Heating Engineers, LEB Construction, Trydan Will Davey Electrical and Arctic Glaze for the detailed and successful collaboration.
Category: News