Project Overview
Kilve Court, a Grade II listed Georgian estate, has long served as a renowned outdoor education centre. However, after decades of underinvestment, its building services design especially the heating system was outdated, inefficient, and unsuitable for modern sustainability goals. The challenge was to enhance guest comfort through a renewable energy-led solution while maintaining the building’s historic fabric and navigating budgetary constraints from its local authority owner.
With the site accommodating up to 120 guests across dormitories, classrooms, and recreational spaces, the refurbishment required a highly efficient, low-disruption strategy that aligned with both the centre’s operational needs and heritage restrictions.
Oatway Design’s Building Services Design Role
As the lead building services design consultants, Oatway Design Ltd was responsible for developing an environmentally sustainable, regulatory-compliant heating strategy tailored to the sensitive heritage site. Our role included:
- Preserving the Historic Character: Retaining the original cast iron column radiators and minimizing external façade alterations to comply with strict listing requirements.
- Engineering a Low-Carbon Future: Designing a hybrid heating system that integrates Air Source Heat Pumps (ASHP) with an LPG boiler, balancing sustainability with high-temperature heating demands.
- Addressing Infrastructure Limitations: Overcoming the lack of natural gas on-site and working within existing spatial and architectural constraints to house new heating infrastructure.
- Ensuring Regulatory Compliance: Engaging closely with heritage officers to gain approvals at every design stage while securing Part L exemptions to avoid intrusive oversized radiator replacements.
- Future-Proofing the System: Creating a scalable heating network that allows future expansion to additional buildings on the 40-acre site.
Driving Results: Services Design Engineering Meets Heritage
Despite the complexities of integrating renewable technologies into a listed building, Oatway Design successfully delivered a high-performance, adaptable heating system with minimal impact on the estate’s historic fabric.
✔️ Sustainability Without Sacrifice: A hybrid system approach optimised energy efficiency while ensuring guest comfort in all seasons.
✔️ Architectural Sensitivity: Careful placement of plant equipment, including a discreetly designed external boiler room, preserved the building’s character while meeting safety and regulatory standards.
✔️ Precision Zoning & Smart Controls: Advanced BMS controls and zoning mechanisms reduced operational costs and carbon footprint.
✔️ Seamless Regulatory Navigation: Achieved Part L exemptions, securing approval for a high-temperature system that protected heritage elements while improving performance.
✔️ Long-Term Lifecycle Value: The system was engineered for scalability, allowing additional buildings on the site to connect in the future.
Why This Project Stands Out
Kilve Court represents a pioneering example of heritage-sensitive engineering. We proved that listed buildings can transition toward decarbonisation without compromising architectural integrity. The project demonstrates the power of multidisciplinary collaboration; where M&E engineering and architectural conservation work hand-in-hand to future-proof historic spaces for modern use.
Award-Worthy Innovation. This project is a benchmark for sustainable heritage refurbishments, balancing energy efficiency, occupant comfort, and regulatory compliance in a way that respects the past while preparing for the future.
