Low carbon building
A new, exemplar low carbon building on the University of Nottingham’s Jubilee Campus, dedicated to RD&D in sustainable energy technologies. Due for completion in spring 2012, this will be a showcase building, demonstrating a range of low carbon technologies which leads the way towards meeting the government’s target for all new public buildings to be ‘zero carbon’ by 2018.
The building will incorporate energy efficient materials and design to minimise its demands for heating, cooling, lighting and ventilation. Energy demands will be met from renewable and ambient sources as far as possible. Some energy technologies featured will include (but are not limited to):
- Hydrogen refuelling station for hydrogen vehicles
- Charging points for electric vehicles
- Ground coupled ventilation systems
- Solar panels for electricity production
- Biofuel CHP (combined heat and power) unit linking into a mini district heating network
- Thermal Energy storage for CHP and users systems
- Smart energy management system
- Micro-wind turbines for electricity production
- PV Garden on green roof for electricity production
- UNIFLEX smart grid power convertor to connect all user renewable power supplies into the building network
- Fuel Cells for heat and electricity production
- Hydrogen production for laboratory works and also for hydrogen cars
- Micro CHP for heat and electricity production
- Users heat producing equipment is being collected into Thermal Energy storage for usage in district heating network.
It is the university’s ambition to design and construct the building to meet the BREEAM Outstanding rating – the highest BREEAM level for environmental sustainability. BREEAM Outstanding was introduced in August 2008 to recognise a new standard of sustainability for exemplary developments.
The facility will comprise three distinct elements:
- Office, event and exhibition space to house staff, hold workshops and information events and showcase the building and its facilities.
- Significant, equipped laboratory space for conducting a variety of energy research, development and demonstration.
- A Prototyping Hall and external compound for constructing and testing full-scale prototypes of facades and building fabrics
