This BREEAM Excellent design provides state of the art flexible teaching and learning spaces, along with lecture theatres, seminar rooms, private study areas and a performing arts space.

Sustainability was a major driver for the design and the building makes extensive use of passive daylighting, natural ventilation and control of overheating through optimised façade and structure configurations. Windows are tall and narrow and set in deep reveals which provide effective shading from the east and west. Trees provide good shading to the south facing social learning spaces, allowing these to be visually well connected to outside.

The central atrium and lantern create a stack effect that passively ventilates and cools the surrounding teaching spaces via acoustically attenuated transfer vents. A displacement ventilation strategy has been used in the lecture theatre, which provides subtle conditioning via under seat supply outlets. In computer rooms and internal study spaces, where natural ventilation is either not sufficient or feasible, highly-efficient variable refrigerant flow cooling systems ensure a comfortable environment. Hot water is generated by point-of-use electric heaters throughout the building, which minimises unnecessary energy use.

Max Fordham have a long standing and successful relationship with the University of Nottingham. We have previously delivered phases 1 and 2 of the university’s high-technology centre for Biomolecular Sciences. The centre integrates four cancer research facilities: laboratory, studies unit, clinical oncology department and cancer formulation unit, including category II and III laboratories, radio isotope rooms, tissue culture rooms and chemistry laboratories.

We provided M&E design services to RIBA stage 4 (with a client monitoring role thereafter), as well as acoustics, sustainability and energy strategy advice.