Systems to harvest footfall energy and use transparent photovoltaic glazing to generate free electricity are just two new technologies included in the refurbished Willmott Dixon Community Healthcare Campus at this year’s Insite ’11 on October 4-5 at BRE’s Garston headquarters.

The campus is packed with technology designed to show how the healthcare industry can save substantial sums on operating costs through renewable energy. John Frankiewicz, CEO of Willmott Dixon Capital Works says, “The health sector consumes vast amounts of energy as it’s a people intensive business requiring high-tech equipment that’s constantly in operation. With energy costs continuing to rise, our campus at Insite ’11 will show how you can offset these costs on future facilities.”

Campus visitors will have the novelty of seeing how much electricity they can create when they walk up the entrance ramp, which has been fitted with a sophisticated system that harvests kinetic energy produced by footfall to feed other systems elsewhere in the building.

Another eye-catching feature is the transparent photovoltaic architectural glazing on the roof that replaces traditional cladding materials to deliver 3000kWh of free electricity each year, more than many conventional photovoltaics. Another feature on the first floor, which simulates a ward environment, is an integrated modular solution for hospital wards with smart lighting that responds to patient and environmental needs

Other technology on display includes Breathing Buildings’ e-stack technology, a low-carbon natural ventilation system used at the UK’s first BREEAM outstanding health facility in Sunderland, and i-Spy Digital’s Care Messenger, which allows personalised messages to be sent to individual TV sets, overlaying commercial channels, an important contribution to assisted living.

Alongside the low carbon technology is the latest thinking for the acute sector. On the first floor will be a hygienic sound absorbent system to minimalise risk of contamination within hospitals, while the clinical rooms will showcase seamless abutment technology which is a new patented solution for gypsum wall endings.

The Willmott Dixon Community Healthcare Campus is now in its third year of showcasing the latest low carbon technology. John says, “We have allowed a number of small and medium enterprises at the cutting edge of technology to use our campus to show the future of energy efficient buildings. It points to an exciting future we can help shape.”

Since the last Insite in 2009, Willmott Dixon has been selected for the Department of Health’s ProCure 21+ framework, making it is one of only six companies that an NHS client can use for fast-track procurement of capital projects under the framework.