Award Winning Design

Pembrokeshire College, Wales’ largest provider of post-16 education and training, has just made history.

Its new Construction and Technology Block has been announced as not only the first further education building in England and Wales to achieve a BREEAM EXCELLENT rating, but also the first to win a BREEAM award for its environmental design.

The Award

BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) is the world’s leading environmental assessment method for buildings. It sets the standard for best practice in sustainable design and has become the de facto measure of a building’s environmental performance.

The BREEAM awards for Wales have been created to recognise and reward those involved in the design and construction of the highest scoring buildings certified under BREEAM in Wales that year. A BREEAM ‘EXCELLENT’ rating is a prequalification, so the winners truly represent Wales’ top examples of sustainable design.

Winner

Pembroke College won the Bespoke 2008 award for Wales, scoring 72.54% in the BREAEAM assessment.

The project obtained a 70% capital funding grant from the Welsh Assembly Government, which to date is the highest percentage awarded to a project under the current funding stream. It also secured a grant from the from the Department of Trade and Industry Low Carbon Building Programme, to contribute to the cost of renewable technologies

Steve Jones, Director of Estates and Facilities, Pembrokeshire College said: “The brief for the project was to create a flexible and environmentally sustainable building and learning environment which would set the benchmark for future projects. Obtaining the BREEAM EXCELLENT rating demonstrates Pembrokeshire College’s commitment to sustainability both in the design and the management operation of the building”

Sustainable Features

The building, which costs £2.914m, was designed and developed following a consultation with the local community. It incorporates a range of ecological and environmentally friendly features such as a rainwater harvesting system, waterless urinals, a solar thermal system, a sophisticated lighting control system, a biomass fire heating system and insulation materials with zero ozone depleting potential.

The site performed very well against BREEAM standards, gaining full credits for the Water section and achieving good scores in Management Energy & Transport, Pollution, Land Use & Ecology, and Health & Well-being.

The building is a model of energy efficiency, with 32% of the total building energy being supplied by renewable or low emission sources, 29% of which is from a biomass heating system, with a small solar thermal system providing the additional 3% energy to the hot water system.

Green materials have also been used throughout the development for the external walls, roofs, upper floor slab and internal walls, and recycling facilities have also been provided throughout the building. A green travel plan for this block of Pembrokeshire College has even been prepared, allowing pupils to get to and from the college by bus or by bicycle.

Excellent Facilities

The new building, designed by Austin Smith Lord Architects is currently being constructed by Dawnus Construction Ltd and will accommodate carpentry and brickwork students when it opens at the start of the new term in September 2008.

The project is the second phase of the College’s ambitious and visionary ten year master plan to redevelop the college. College principal Glyn Jones commented, “The £30 million redevelopment of the main campus at Haverfordwest will further enhance the already excellent facilities and resources provided at Pembrokeshire College for our learners.”

For pictures: www.pembrokeshire.ac.uk/news/env