An Award Winning Building
Located in the George Thomas Building at Highfield, the Student Services Centre is an environmentally sound building, both in design and construction.
The building has received the highly coveted Green Gown Award for sustainable construction. The award plaque can be seen in the main atrium, behind the main desk.
Main features of the building include:
The glass ceiling of the atrium contains photovoltaic cells which generate electricity for the Centre. The cells act to keep the atrium cool in the summer, and cast the unusual shadows across the walls and floor. Up to one third of the electricity used by the Centre can be provided by solar power.
Automatic windows in the atrium ceiling help regulate the temperature of the whole building, which has been designed to require only passive air conditioning.
A Combined Heat and Power engine provides electricity for the building and also energy for the University's district heating system.
The thermal mass of the concrete structure helps to store warmth in the winter, and in the summer the concrete helps to cool the surrounding air.
A rainwater harvesting tank on the roof of the Centre. The collected rainwater is used for toilets throughout the building.
The timber, a major feature of the building, has been sourced from sustainable forests.
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