Sustainable construction and refurbishment

The ground floor of Devonshire House was refurbished and rebranded as DH1 to create an area for students to study and socialise in one open area. The project involved the construction of a 110m² extension and the addition of a decking area.

All building materials were recycled on site where possible and the new radiator system was tapped into the existing plumbing to minimise waste. Several aspects of the refurbishment were also designed to be as energy efficient as possible: sun shading structures were constructed to reduce heat gain, LED lights were used where possible and the roof of the new extension was designed to meet building regulations +10%. For more information, see the DH1 Case Study.

The Building:One project is a great example of how careful consultation and design can actually improve the ecological status of a development site.

In the design stages, an ecological assessment of the area identified important ecological features and detailed measures to protect and enhance them. For example a protected Turkey Oak tree was retained on the site, with the building moved forward by five metres to ensure a root protection zone. The development also saw the creation of new habitats, including a new wildflower meadow and the addition of new bird and bat boxes. The building itself was also built to high environmental standards and achieved a BREEAM Excellent status overall. For more information, see the Building:One case study.

The Living Systems Institute will be a interdisciplinary research centre, located between the Geoffrey Pope and Laver buildings. Construction of the Living Systems building began in June 2014 and is expected to be complete by April 2016.

The building will take account of best practice for sustainable laboratory design and construction, in order to meet the University’s sustainability and carbon reduction policies, with a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ target for the building.

This project took a multi-functional 1960s building and used a range of retrofitting techniques to turn its Target Energy Performance Rating around from a 'G' to a 'C'. The project used HEFCE Revolving Green Funding to overclad the roof and walls and add thermal insulation to reduce heat loss; provide occupancy sensor controls for air conditioning; replace light fittings; and install a rooftop solar thermal system.

The improvements resulted in a saving of £16,000 in energy bills and 92 tonnes CO₂ in the first 7 months after construction. The project was recognised in the prestigious 2014 Green Gown Awards where it received the award for Construction and Refurbishment. For more information see the Cornwall House case study.

The Forum opened in May 2012 as a home to the Student Services Centre, a new library, and new retail and catering facilities. This BREEAM Excellent rated building employs natural ventilation, earth tube preheating, high levels of insulation, energy efficient lighting and ground source heat pumps to keep emissions below 200 tonnes per year.

Other sustainability features include rainwater harvesting to reduce mains water usage; attenuation of surface water drainage using ponds, swales and artificially created natural wetlands; increased cycle parking and changing facilities for cyclists; and sustainable material use, particularly in furniture, fabrics and timber sourcing. For more information, see The Forum case study page.

The Sports Park development, which was completed in September 2013, involved building a new tennis hall, hockey pitch and multi-use game area, as well as the new Russell Seal Fitness Centre.

Several measures were taken to improve the energy performance of the development. These included installing a fleet of solar panels on the roof to supply the building with renewable energy; installing an air source heat pump to heat the building sustainably and using LED lights where possible to reduce energy consumption. The building achieved BREEAM Excellent status.

A range of retrofitting techniques were used to improve the energy efficiency of Kay House. These included cavity wall and roof insulation; condensing boilers; thermostatic radiator control; low e-solar control double glazing; instantaneous electric hot water; full occupancy detection lighting control; and electrical sub-metering on all main circuits and lighting.

As a result of the improvements, the Display Energy Certificate for Kay House was improved from a G to a B and the building achieved a BREEAM rating of “Very Good”. In 2012, the project received the Greenbuild award for Education Buildings (Retrofit). For further information, see the full Kay House refurbishment case study.

From October 201 - April 2014, the University’s period Knightley building underwent a large scale refurbishment to create a modern working environment to house the Strategic Security Institute.

As part of the project, a number of features were put in place to increase the sustainability of the building. These included additional loft space insulation; exit and entry points in the roof for the existing bat population; new energy efficient LED lighting; and a new bin store to accommodate recycling bins. Five cycle parking hoops to accommodate 10 bikes were also installed to promote sustainable travel.

A poorly performing water distribution system in Geoffrey Pope was replaced with a new system to significantly cut carbon emissions.  Improved metering was installed to monitor the energy and associated carbon and utility savings. Since replacement, the meters have shown an electrical reduction of 91%, a carbon saving of 74 tonnes per year, and a utility and carbon tax cost savings of circa £15,000 per year. The project also provides enhanced and more resilient water supply to Physics, Newman Bio Cat and Peter Chalk. See the case study report for more information.