Bradford University sets global standard for university accommodation
The Green at the University of Bradford looks like just another of the student villages springing up on UK campuses. But it has broken the world record for environmental design.
The £40 million development of 1026 single rooms in self-catering flats and houses achieved 99.05 per cent, the highest ever score on the BREEAM measure of building sustainability out of more than one million buildings assessed worldwide. It is one of only 15 buildings globally with the top ‘Outstanding’ rating, and the first multi-residential building in the UK in that category.
Its features include a very efficient thermal design to minimise heating, the use of low impact materials such as recycled aggregate and sustainable timber, a combined heat and power plant, and rooftop solar panels for hot water. Toilets are flushed using rainwater from the rooftops. Students will be rewarded with a rebate if they use less than a target level of energy, with usage displayed on panels in shared kitchens. The townhouses have gardens where vegetables can be grown.
Andy Wright, British Science Association Media Fellow at Times Higher Education
The £40 million development of 1026 single rooms in self-catering flats and houses achieved 99.05 per cent, the highest ever score on the BREEAM measure of building sustainability out of more than one million buildings assessed worldwide. It is one of only 15 buildings globally with the top ‘Outstanding’ rating, and the first multi-residential building in the UK in that category.
Its features include a very efficient thermal design to minimise heating, the use of low impact materials such as recycled aggregate and sustainable timber, a combined heat and power plant, and rooftop solar panels for hot water. Toilets are flushed using rainwater from the rooftops. Students will be rewarded with a rebate if they use less than a target level of energy, with usage displayed on panels in shared kitchens. The townhouses have gardens where vegetables can be grown.
Andy Wright, British Science Association Media Fellow at Times Higher Education
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