The Royal Institution’s historic London home in Mayfair is set for multi-million-pound environmental works to substantially reduce the Grade I Listed building’s carbon footprint and secure its environmental future.
Made possible thanks to £4.35m funding from the Mayor of London, planning permission has been granted by Westminster City Council, to enable works to reduce carbon emissions by an initial 35% thanks to more efficient energy consumption and improved building fabric thermal integrity.
And with the climate crisis being the most pressing global challenge of our age, existing buildings contribute nearly 20% of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions and nearly three quarters of the capital’s, with older buildings proving the most challenging to tackle.
Mete Coban, Deputy Mayor of London for Environment and Energy, said: “These renovation works are a fantastic example of how we are supporting large scale projects to upgrade some of London's landmark buildings so that even historic sites like the Royal Institution can be more environmentally friendly. The Mayor’s investment in this project is an important part of our ongoing work to build a better, greener London for everyone.”
Katherine Mathieson, Director of the Royal Institution (Ri), said: “We are extremely grateful for the support the Mayor of London has shown for the challenging yet vitally important environmental performance improvements we are seeking; and to Westminster City Council for granting the permissions to make them a reality.
“We look forward to starting on site at the Ri as soon as possible, working with our considerate contractor partners and our Albemarle Street neighbours, to accelerate along our own road to net zero, while protecting the important heritage of our Grade I Listed home.”
For over 225 years the Royal Institution has been synonymous with the UK’s greatest scientific discoveries. The electric motor and electric generator were invented there by Michael Faraday; nine chemical elements of the Periodic Table were isolated there by Humphry Davy; while the Bragg’s Nobel Prize-winning advances in X-Ray Crystallography paved the way for modern advances in DNA research.
And, in 1861, it was in the research laboratories of the Ri that John Tyndall identified what we know today as greenhouse gases; the primary cause of climate change.
Today, the Ri is a leading science engagement charity and a founding partner, with Imperial College London, of Undaunted. A UK hub for climate innovation, Undaunted’s programmes include The Greenhouse accelerator – supported by the Mayor of London – which helps high-potential, early-stage start-ups develop tech to tackle climate change. Undaunted’s alumni companies have gone on to secure over $1.3bn investment to scale their innovations, create jobs, and bring UK technology to global markets.
Project FootpRint – the environmental refurbishment works approved by Westminster City Council – will see the installation of new air source heat pumps, a new chiller and new air conditioning units, all controlled by a new intelligent building management system (BMS). At the same time, improved thermal integrity will be achieved through making the Ri more airtight, preventing the loss of energy through adverse heat loss and heat gain, including via solar reflective film for the Ri’s listed windows.
Works are likely to begin at the Ri during the summer, with a targeted completion date of 31 December 2025. The Ri hopes to raise funds for the additional works needed to reach their net zero target.
ENDS
For more information please contact Robert Davies in the Ri press office: rdavies@ri.ac.uk
Notes to Editors
About the Royal Institution
The Royal Institution’s (Ri) vision is that science is for everyone. Science transforms lives and underpins the modern world – from health to the latest technology, the environment, and the furthest reaches of our universe. Science is part of culture, but not everyone has the same opportunity to engage. The Ri believes there should be equitable access to science, and that people’s desire to engage with science and scientists should be nourished.
The Ri brings the public and scientists together to share their interest and passion for science, empowering people to explore and get involved.
An independent registered charity, the Ri provides science education, public engagement, and heritage activities for people of all ages and backgrounds across the UK and around the world. These activities include the world-famous CHRISTMAS LECTURES; public talks from the world's greatest thinkers in its historic lecture theatre and livestreamed online; a successful YouTube channel with 1.6 million subscribers, a national programme of Ri Masterclasses for young people in mathematics, engineering and computer science; hands-on science workshops in its Urenco Young Scientist Centre; award winning animations and films; and the preservation of its scientific legacy through the Faraday Museum and archival collections.
The Ri is a home for science and everyone is welcome.
About the GLA
The GLA and the Mayor are responsible for making London a better place for everyone who visits, lives or works in the city. The Mayor provides citywide leadership, setting an overall vision for London and creating plans and policies to achieve it.
About Undaunted
Undaunted is a hub for the UK’s climate innovation community, creating new routes into green entrepreneurship and supporting the acceleration of startups and SMEs tackling climate change. It is a partnership between the Royal Institution and the Grantham Institute - Climate Change and the Environment at Imperial College London.
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