Sustainability
UCC Student Hub
The UCC Student Hub is a state-of-the-art central hub designed to streamline student services and support student learning for both undergraduate and post-graduate students. The hub incorporates the historic Windle building, one of the original buildings on campus with a new five storey extension at the rear of the building. It's centrally located between the Quad and the Kane science building on the main campus.
Key details
Project name
UCC Student Hub
Client
Universal College Cork
Location
Cork Ireland
Services provided:
- Mechanical engineering
- Electrical engineering
- Energy efficient design
- BREEAM assessment
- BIM
- Retrofitting
Challenge
UCC was the first university in Europe to be awarded the Gold Star from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education and the first in the world to be awarded the green flag from the Foundation for Environmental Education. It was therefore of paramount importance to UCC that carbon reduction was central to the design.
Meeting the needs of diverse student and staff stakeholders required flexibility in building design with spaces designed for creative interaction using cast-to screens with wireless connectivity to devices in formal and informal settings along with more traditional multimedia presentation rooms and event spaces. Supporting universal access throughout the building was of paramount importance.
Solution
Sustainable Design solutions were an important element in the project. We developed the following energy efficient solutions:
- The building was modelled to analyse thermal performance, optimise conservation insulation measures for the historic structure, glazing treatments to minimise solar gain, review HVAC options and optimise natural ventilation openings.
- The Student Hub was connected to the existing steam district heating system which utilised waste heat from CHP engines.
- A sophisticated natural ventilation system was employed instead of energy-intensive air conditioning which used controllable ventilation openings to control temperature and CO2 levels in the occupied space and to provide night cooling to the thermal mass of the building.
- Mechanical ventilation was provided by heat recovery ventilation systems.
- LED lighting with daylight and occupancy control was used throughout.
- A Building Management System provided precise control and monitored energy usage throughout the building which linked to UCC’s Energy Management System.
