Not only are universities investing money, staff and expertise in environmental research, they are also leading from the front by introducing energy-saving initiatives on to their campuses.  Sustainability is a key issue for universities when liaising with architects and builders.

Aston Student Village secures top environment rating
Edge Hill’s Faculty of Health reduces carbon emissions

Aston Student Village secures top environment rating

Aston University has been awarded the highest environmental standard for its new Aston Student Village (ASV) residences project.

The BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating means that the £215m scheme will give Aston one of the most sustainable university communities in Europe, comprising 2400 brand new en suite bedrooms, 1300 of which will begin to be made available from late 2010 as part of Phase I of the project – and a new all-weather sports pitch.

Some of the more innovative features on the buildings includes a wind turbine on the roof, wastewater recycling, green roofs and recycling plants in each block. The residences will be powered by Aston’s Combined Heat & Power Plant, which the University launched in June 2009, to vastly improve its energy efficiency. The scheme has also obtained ‘Secure by Design’ accreditation, making it a safe environment for students.

Plans are under way for Phase II, in what is a great boost for the construction industry. The project will provide much-needed employment opportunities within the construction industry and allied trades.

Edge Hill’s Faculty of Health reduces carbon emissions

In keeping with other recent buildings at Edge Hill University, the Faculty of Health building demonstrates a serious commitment to low energy building and reducing carbon emissions.

The building has already won both the RICS Regional Award for Sustainability and The West Lancashire Award for Sustainability. The overall energy use by the building, after a year’s monitoring, is significantly less than Best Practice guidance and 15.4kg/Co2/m2/PA.

There are three main principles informing the environmental design:

• Minimise energy demand: good natural daylight and effective natural ventilation reduce the need for artificial lighting and remove the need for mechanical ventilation except in the lecture theatres.
• Thermal mass reduces thermal change, night cooling allows cool night air to cool the structure, lighting is controlled by presence detectors.
• Shading and orientation reduce solar gains to a minimum.

Developed with DIY Kyoto, the “energy wall” in the main entrance uses information from the meters to control an LED array which changes colour if energy use exceeds predicted loads.