Charlotte Fernández
UKIMEA Press Office,Leeds
The new £56.5 million Life Science building at the University of Bristol has been opened by renowned broadcaster and naturalist, Sir David Attenborough.
The building will provide world-class facilities for science research and teaching, and will be the focal point for globally-leading research.
Arup was instrumental in the mechanical and electrical engineering strategies for the building, as well as working closely with the on-site contractor to provide technical advice.
“It was tremendously rewarding to work with a client so committed to reducing the environmental impact of the construction, operation and demolition stages of the project to a practical minimum. In the design stages, we worked hard to deliver a concept that reduces energy consumption whilst maintaining a comfortable, cutting edge facility John Peacock, Project Director, Arup
Work to construct the 13,500 square metre building began in July 2011 and it has just welcomed its first intake of students.
The project showcases the best in sustainable design and energy efficiency and it’s been designed to achieve the environmental accreditation BREEAM Excellent and represents a major part of the University’s drive to provide energy efficient laboratories, whilst maintaining high levels of occupant comfort.
Heat from the laboratories’ ventilation systems is reclaimed and re-used, rainwater collected from the roof is used to flush the toilets, using Arup’s rainwater harvesting flushing tank system, blinds lower automatically when the sun shines and lighting has been designed to avoid pollution of the night sky. The turbo core chiller was chosen for its high efficiency and its ability to pre-heat the hot water.
To reflect the research being carried out inside, the exterior of the building is home to a vertical garden, called a living wall, which stands over 20 metres above street level. The façade also incorporates a ‘ripple’ effect which helps to disguise the ducts on the building whilst also maximise the internal laboratory space.
A state-of-the-art greenhouse, known as a GroDome, sits on top of the building and is capable of recreating tropical conditions thanks to controlled light, humidity and temperature.
The Life Sciences building also has one of the largest teaching labs in the country, capable of hosting 200 students.
“The openness of the teaching space belies the complexity of its services. This is thanks to the intricately designed undulating ceiling which cleverly incorporates the active chilled beams and fire detection together with the suspensions for the lighting and servicing to the benches Chris Cocks, Project Manager, Arup
A total of 2,000 people have worked on the project, including 28 architects from 10 countries. The building was designed by the architects Sheppard Robson and built by VINCI Construction UK.
The new facility sits next to the University’s Nano Science & Quantum Information building, dubbed the ‘quietest building in the world’ which is another Arup services designed building.