Green Gown Awards 2016 – Built Environment – Swansea University– Finalist

ESRI - The Energy Safety Research Institute – The first BREEAM OUTSTANDING Educational Building in Wales

The Energy Safety Research Institute (ESRI) is a 3900m2, £12.6m BREEAM Outstanding research facility at Swansea University’s new science and innovation focussed Bay Campus. This incredible project represents the first BREEAM Outstanding educational building to be constructed in Wales.

As the centrepiece of Swansea University’s research into renewable and alternative energy production, ESRI provides a focus in this innovative and important field. Designed by Stride Treglown, and constructed by Bouygues UK, the building accommodates a showcase lecture theatre, high-quality research offices, communal areas, meeting rooms, scientific testing and experimental laboratories.

High environmental performance is fundamental to the design. Its orientation, layout and natural ventilation help to achieve passive low energy. In addition it incorporates a micro CHP unit as well as solar PV, rainwater harvesting and full LED lighting. Lying on the boundary of a Site of Special Scientific Interest, environmentally sensitive performance was at the heart of the design.

Top 3 learnings

1 Don’t underestimate the level of detail required to fulfil BREEAM outstanding requirements over those of Excellent. Having a supply chain that ‘buys into’ the aspiration will assist delivery.

2 Striving to achieve BREEAM Outstanding requires a truly collaborative approach, it is an onerous challenge at best and without the support of all project team members (Designers, Contractor and Client) the targeted credits can be intimidating.

3 Identify and provide resource to ‘champion’ the BREEAM element of the project. This naturally forms part of everybody’s role but a single identified person to lead, challenge and just simply doggedly chase and collate evidence will assist enormously. It cannot be assumed by all that this is the sole responsibility of your BREEAM assessor!

CO2t Savings: 31.5  
Actual/Estimated: Estimated
No. of yrs: 1
 

Videos

• ESRI - The Energy Safety Research Institute – The first BREEAM OUTSTANDING Educational Building in Wales (click to hide)