The new Portsmouth Cruise and Ferry terminal sets new standards for the passengers passing through the port, and importantly does it in a green fashion, achieving a BREEAM rating of “very good.” It replaces the previous Ferry Terminal build in the 1970s.
The new building (officially opened in May this year) offers the modern high standards and style of an airport – with none of the queues and baggage hassles of flying. A full height concourse contains shops, check in desks and the arrival departure area, while a mezzanine area offers views from the bar and restaurants area. Arriving drivers have new drop off areas and access roads.
Such a green achievement for the £16,5m facility has resulted both from its geographical position and the use of proven eco provider Franke Sissons for the installation of washroom facilities.
The geographical position of the Ferry port, lying as it does on the breezy coastline of southern England, provides a steady wind speed enabling the building to power its own air treatment without a motor contribution. The new system accesses the wind to both supply and extract air from the building. Similarly the building’s proximity to the sea allows the seawater contribution to various services in the building and as such combining these benefits delivers a much reduced carbon footprint using just 20% of the energy of a traditional boiler/chilled facility.
The washroom standard for the facility is also high, utilising the individual Franke Sissons stainless urinals in the terminal’s washroom facilities. The Franke Sissons stainless steel washroom facilities cover the other half of the savings with 100% use of seawater for toilet flushing. This is handled by the stainless infrastructure of the washrooms requiring only the addition of seawater secure water valves where necessary for the flushing programme. Stainless is a modern sustainable material for washrooms, since it is an ultimately fully reclaimable material.
