BREEAM Excellent for The Hub, Coventry University

The Hub, a mixed use Student Centre at Coventry University has been certified at BREEAM Excellent.

It scored particularly well in most of the credit areas, including in the Management, Health and Wellbeing, Energy, Water, Land Use and Ecology and Pollution.

We provided M+E engineering and Acoustics on the project by Hawkins Brown, including:

• using borehole water as the heat rejection medium for the central cooling plant;
• specifying 70m2 solar thermal collectors for hot water;
• designing the natural ventilation strategy;
• harvesting rainwater from the roof for use in WC flushing;
• installing a mains water leak detection system;
• recovering heat on mechanical ventilation systems;
• extensive sub-metering of major energy loads;
• specifying efficient internal and external lighting; and,
• using best practice sustainable acoustic design.

The building also features thermal mass (exposed concrete) which will assist cooling and includes a large green sedum roof, which has increased the sites biodiversity – it was previously a car park and workshops.

For more information on the project, please visit the Coventry University website.