Student Centre is BREEAM Outstanding

The new Student Centre at UCL has been awarded a BREEAM 'Outstanding' rating, three months after opening its doors to students.

The building is designed to maximise passive measures of environmental control with exposed thermal mass and controlled daylight. Ground-source heat pumps connect to boreholes beneath the basement, providing free cooling as part of a low-energy low-carbon, mixed-mode. The building is constructed of naturally beautiful, highly durable materials that help to minimise resource use associated with maintenance and repairs. Photovoltaic arrays at roof level provide renewable energy in site.

“We are extremely pleased to achieve the highest BREEAM rating for the Student Centre. The fantastic design is sensitive to Bloomsbury’s fine heritage and shows how to deliver sustainable development on a constrained urban site.”
Professor Anthony Smith, Vice-Provost (Education & Student Affairs)

“UCL has set itself some challenging targets for sustainability and this project exemplifies the willingness and passion to achieve these goals. The project team demonstrated a consistent and driven commitment to UCL’s core objectives – including the pursuit of an ‘Outstanding’ rating – all to ensure this scheme is seen as a true exemplar within the higher education sector.”
Richard Jackson, Director of Sustainability, UCL