Hull plans energy efficient visitor attraction

A planned visitor centre at Hull’s North End Shipyard will be “one of the most energy efficient buildings in the UK’s cultural and heritage sector”, according to the city council.

The scheme is part of the £30.3m Hull Maritime project, which is funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Hull City Council. It features five maritime elements — the Arctic Corsair, Spurn Lightship, Dock Office Chambers, Hull Maritime Museum and the historic shipyard.

The new visitor centre is being designed by architect Purcell to meet “Passivhaus” standards – a model that provides energy savings of up to 90% compared with a typical new building.

“These highly ambitious plans will not only create a new visitor attraction that will showcase the many maritime stories, but also achieve the best energy efficient standards,” said councillor Daren Hale, portfolio holder for Economic Investment, Regeneration, Planning, Land and Property.

“This will be a remarkable achievement and demonstrates our continued commitment to sustainability and to Hull becoming carbon neutral by 2030.”

The two-storey visitor centre will sit alongside the dock and the Arctic Corsair, Hull’s last remaining sidewinder trawler. Its exhibition spaces will tell the story of the ship and the trawling industry.

Passivhaus buildings use mainly passive heat sources such as the sun, household appliances and human occupants to cover heating demand. The 500 sq metre building in Hull will use a system of heat exchangers to collect heat leaving the building and use it to warm the colder air coming in. This approach will also cool the building in the summer.

The centre is expected to attract 135,000 visitors a year following its opening in 2023.

Purcell has worked on a wide range of heritage projects, including the restoration of Kensington Palace, Tower Bridge and the National Maritime Museum.