Construction and Renovation

As the Environment Team is situated within the Estates Department we work alongside our Estates colleagues to help to bring about improvements to the University’s buildings. This involves involvement at decision-making stages on both new buildings as well as renovation projects. Wherever possible the Environment Team will input into design stages of projects to promote the use of environmental alternatives to conventional materials, as well as alternative building designs to maximise natural methods of heating and cooling.

Environmental design had already featured within a number of the more recent new build projects including John Foster Hall and the extension and renovation to the David Wilson library. Both have strived to achieve high levels of efficiency and inclusion of environmental features.

The library was awarded with the best environmental design standard of BREEAM ‘excellent’. BREEAM is the Building Research Establishment’s Environmental Assessment Method for building design. This is a guide for building environmentally benign buildings. Further details on the library project, focusing upon its solar panels can be found at the Library webpages.

The Estates Office are committed to achieving the best BREEAM rating that is possible for all future major building projects.