A 3D map of London’s underground structures is now on display at Fleet Green Skills Hub, highlighting that what is “beneath our feet could be a key component for a more sustainable future”, and how this understanding might be used to achieve the goal of Net Zero by 2040.
As part of the Mapping Energy Project (MEP), the initiative was made in collaboration with the artist Cathy Wren, Square Mile Churches, Nottingham Trent University, 16 engineers, and seven local schools. They spent a year researching and creating the map, which was unveiled at St Andrew’s, Holborn, last Friday.
The MEP, which has attracted funding from the Royal Academy of Engineering and National Lottery Heritage Fund, enables sixth-form students and early-career engineers to explore underground-heat sources, including the London Tube Network and riverways, to find new ways “of conserving energy and cooling the interiors of the Square Mile Churches and associated buildings”.
Visits to energy sites, including the Bunhill Energy Centre, in Islington, and City Gen, in Smithfield, contributed towards the research.
Square Miles Churches said that many of their places of worship are “of international significance” and have “ageing or failing heating systems in need of replacement”, making it essential to source “alternative ways of heating buildings”.
The Bishop of London, the Rt Revd Sarah Mullally, said that finding “carbon-free solutions for our historic City churches [reflects] our responsibility as Christians to be good stewards of God’s creation”.
Also last Friday, students from the seven schools — Bishop Wand Church of England School, in Surrey; John Lyon School, in Harrow; London Design and Engineering University Technical College, in east London; St Augustine’s C of E High School, in Kilburn; Stepney All Saints C of E Secondary School; the City of London School for Girls; and the Green School, in Isleworth — presented their models of Square Mile churches to community representatives and discussed possible piping systems for the extraction and distribution of subterranean energy.
Bishop Mullally said: “We are delighted that these enterprising school students and young engineers are involved in exploring innovative solutions, broadening their knowledge of the past, and finding new outlets for their creativity. We hope that by meeting a varied group of experienced professional people — from clergy to designers to academics to engineers — the project has also opened up a wider world of career paths for this talented young group.”
The MEP is part of the diocese of London’s Square Mile Churches: A Sustainable Future initiative, which combines “conservation planning, energy audits, and sustainability innovations” through community outreach and activities.
The 3D map will remain on display at the Fleet Green Skills Hub, on New Bridge Street, EC4V, throughout the summer.