Eco Factor: New Abbey Park campus for Leicester College is energy-efficient and generates renewable energy.
Education building specialists Bond Bryan Architects have developed a £25 million campus for Leicester College that would serve as its new city center Abbey Park campus. The 10,500 square-meter campus has been designed by using the latest thermal modeling software that allowed the architects to maximize thermal mass, orientation, day-lighting and mechanical heat recovery.
Apart from the energy-efficient features integrated into the design, the campus will also generate a portion of its own electricity needs through wind turbines. Five floors of the campus will be dedicated to educational facilities that also include space for dance and drama performances, recording studios, science laboratories and a fully dedicated business education facility. The use of sustainable and eco-friendly features not only enables the campus to boast one of the highest energy-efficiency ratings but also ensures a reduction in CO2 emissions.
The Dark Side:
A £25 million campus with certain green features is not what one would really like. At that cost the architecture firm should have done much more than just harnessing wind energy with a few turbines.
