Green Lab site visit to Fisherton Street
Green Lab
On 26th April, 21 Westminster Adult Education Service learners attended a classroom session and site visit as part of the Green Live Learning Lab project being run between WAES and WCC. The aim of this project is to bring together Family Learning with real-life sustainability learning. The Green Lab is using the regeneration and construction work that is currently happening in north Westminster to show how low-carbon technology and renewable energy can be built or retrofitted into 21st century living.
This third session started off at the Lisson Grove centre of WAES, where the WCC technical experts involved in the project gave a presentation to participants about the sustainable aspects of the Church Street regeneration project, including information about the air source heat pumps and green/ brown roofs which are features of the new homes in Fisherton Street. We then walked to Fisherton Street to see a flat which is heated by an air source heat pump and to see the low-carbon heating technology in the basement.
It was especially interesting to learn about the difference between how we use our usual radiators and how to use the new radiators, and the importance of insulation and ventilation in these new systems. We had a real-life example of the insulation of the properties, as, even without heating, the room temperature was comfortable, despite the chilly spring wind outside.
There are two more Wednesday morning sessions of the Green Live Learning Lab coming up, before we move on to Family Learning activities over half term and for World Environment Day. Later in the project we will be focussing on future green careers, and on co-creating teaching materials that could be used for similar projects to this one.
Find out more here Community Projects (waes.ac.uk) and if you would like to get involved contact Amy Dunkley at communitylearning@waes.ac.uk, call Westminster Adult Education Service on 020 7627 7627 or come into a WAES centre. Thank you to everyone who has taken part in the project so far!
