RC121 NovDec 2025 - Magazine - Page 16
INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS
NEW YORK, U.S.
270 PARK AVENUE
WALES, U.K.
COED ELY SOLAR FARM
COED ELY SOLAR FARM is an innovative renewable project powering a local hospital with
low-carbon electricity and feeding energy back into the national grid. Located in Wales,
the project has seen the installation of more than 9,000 panels and was jointly funded by
Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council, the U.K. government through the UK Shared
Prosperity Fund, and the Welsh Government.
The solar farm will save an estimated 7,355 tonnes of carbon emissions over its lifecycle,
and was supported in its delivery by global design, engineering, and environmental consulting
firm Stantec, as well as Vital Energi, Rhomco, and The Urbanists.
The project uses a 3.2-kilometre private wire cable which allows the scheme to export one
megawatt (MW) of electricity to Royal Glamorgan Hospital, helping drive down carbon emissions for the National Health Service (NHS). On peak summer days, the solar farm is expected
to meet 100 per cent of the hospital’s electricity demand.
The Coed Ely Solar Farm was built on a reclaimed colliery site, turning 84 acres of former
industrial land into a renewable energy asset for the region. As one of the largest local-authority
solar projects in Wales, it generates enough clean energy to power around 8,000 homes annually while contributing five MW to the grid.
The main challenge was overcoming the site’s topography. Through careful solar design and
geological investigations, Stantec determined the optimum layout for the scheme and cable
routes to the hospital.
The company also handled the full PV design including mounting, electrical infrastructure,
panels, site access, foundation design, and layout. The panels were installed at a low pitch,
allowing for continual use throughout the day, and reducing the potential glare sometimes
associated with solar farms.
The contractor’s project team worked with the Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council
to enable local communities to benefit from the socio-economic advantages of the project,
with over £600,000 spent in local procurement, the creation of new jobs, and significant support for several local charities.
16—RENEW CANADA – NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2025
270 Park Avenue, the soaring 60-storey global headquarters
of JPMorgan Chase. Rising 1,388 feet, the tower is one of
the tallest office buildings in New York City, and will accommodate 14,000 employees in a state-of-the-art workplace.
Reflecting the growing need for healthy and sustainable
buildings, the skyscraper is Manhattan’s largest all-electric
tower. The building also considers indoor air quality and aims
to exceed the highest industry standards in sustainability,
health and wellness.
In order to strengthen and guide the design and construction process, the project aligned to and plans to seek final
certification from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design (LEED) Platinum v4. During demolition of the building
site, 97 per cent of the existing materials were recycled,
reused or upcycled, exceeding the LEED Platinum requirement
by more than 20 per cent.
RJC Engineers served as Engineer of Record for the tower’s
glass façade and skylights, technical elements that define the
building’s performance and user experience. At street level,
the transparent façade opens the tower to the city, creating
a sense of accessibility and connection. At each roof setback,
skylights flood the interior with daylight, enhancing comfort
and creating dynamic gathering points in the sky.
These features posed unique engineering challenges given
the scale and complexity of the project. RJC’s role required
precision in design, coordination across disciplines, and
solutions that balance durability, efficiency, and aesthetics at
unprecedented heights.
“RJC Engineers was the engineer of record and was responsible for ensuring the feature façade met the building code
requirements,” said Andrew Crosby, principal with RJC Engineers. “Our approach is to push boundaries and help advance
the codes to minimize the use of materials, maximizing transparency and minimizing cost. RJC will continue to advocate for
maximally efficient designs to push engineering to its logical
limit and help inspire great architecture. We are proud to have
worked with Permasteelisa on this landmark in New York.”
RENEWCANADA.NET
RHONDDA CYNON TAF COUNCIL RJC ENGINEERS
MANHATTAN’S SKYLINE recently welcomed a bold new addition:
