Environmental Sustainability
Harmony Works is a project which aims to improve the lives of children and young people. We’re critically aware of the impact that the twin emergencies of climate change and the crisis in nature will have on their futures. Therefore, we’re committed to being as environmentally sustainable as we can, making our footprint light, and contributing to Sheffield’s aim to be a Net Zero Carbon City by 2030.
Harmony Works came about because we knew that, if we move to a central location, our work will be more visible, and it will be easier for children and young people from across South Yorkshire and beyond to access our activities. But as well as making it easier for more children to reach us, it will also mean that journeys can be greener: there’s a tram stop outside the door, several bus stops nearby and it’s a five-minute walk from Sheffield train station.
Furthermore, by choosing to site the project in an existing building, with all its embedded carbon, we’ve already made a commitment to reducing our impact by reusing a building that’s in need of a new purpose.
Going forward, our approach has two pillars:
Renovating Canada House
- We’ll only change what we need to change to make it a brilliant home for music. We call it “found space” and will retain as much as possible of the existing fabric, warts and all! The building will tell a story.
- We’ll make sure that the spaces are flexible and versatile so that children and young people can make maximum use of them – no waste.
- The old boilers have reached the end of their life. We’ll explore options for replacement using sustainable sources.
- We’ll replace old double glazing with new windows that will improve the building’s insulation.
- We’ll replace all the lights with low-energy LED lighting.
- We also hope to create an accessible roof garden, including nature friendly planting, on our building extension.
Once Harmony Works is open
- We’ll encourage all visiting Canada House to use active and green travel to get here.
- We’ll make sustainability a key theme of our work, looking back at the technological revolution that led to the Sheffield United Gaslight Company building Canada House as its headquarters in 1875, and exploring how we use energy now and in the future.
- We’ll work with the ideas and creativity of our young people to operate the building and deliver activities in an environmentally sustainable way.
- We’ll use technology to make our work both accessible and green, providing digital access to concerts and events, and sharing our work on multiple platforms.
- As key Castlegate residents, we’ll celebrate the amazing environmental improvements on our doorstep like the best in class ‘Grey to Green’ and the deculverting of the River Sheaf. We will continue to work with Sheffield City Council and our neighbours to make Castlegate a better place to live, work and visit.
