The University of East Anglia (UEA) in Norwich is making preparations to break ground on the Norwich Research Park Enterprise Centre. The new facility will be an academic and office facility that has the potential to be the “greenest commercial building in the United Kingdom.”
CleanTechnica has reported that Norwich officials have recently approved the project, which involves an investment of about £8 million.
The building, which was designed by Architype, will be the first commercial development in the country to hold both Passivhaus and Breeam “Outstanding” ratings. Morgan Sindall is the main contractor assigned to the project. BDP Engineers and Church Landscape Architects are also involved.
Architype associate director Ben Humphries told CleanTechnica, “Passivhaus is all about energy and comfort, it is proven to deliver very low energy but Breeam has all the other components so it was very important to have it all.”
“The other thing was having very low embodied carbon. We’ve comprehensively modeled the building over a 100 year life cycle which has really informed design choices.
“We’ve worked with the university’s experts and modeled the building in terms of climate change – the building has been designed to achieve the Passivhaus standard up until 2080.”
The building’s impressive features include solar heating, mechanical ventilation, photovoltaic panels, and triple-glazed windows. This project will also serve to stimulate the regional economy by using local products and natural materials.
When the centre is completed in January of 2015, it will house offices, classrooms, a large lecture hall, and meeting areas. It will also be home to the Centre for the Built Environment. The Centre will test and promote sustainable building products.
The Norwich Research Park Enterprise Centre is financed in part by the European Union, through the European Regional Development Fund. Other funding for the project comes from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, Norwich Research Park, and the Building Research Establishment.
