Campuses that not only look good but also do good is the goal of Michael Pickup, Managing Director of Diamik Glass.
Sustainable architecture is a complicated, multi-layered discipline and higher education providers must consider materials and construction, as well as maintenance and afterlife across their campuses and student accommodation. The green agenda should form the basis of university objectives going forward, and below are four great options to provide inspiration and inform building design.
1) Living walls: Living green walls purify air, reduce the ambient temperature and create a fantastic sense of well-being. This innovative way of bringing nature inside has been successfully adding value and beauty to interiors around the world since the 1970s and is testimony to excellent sustainable building design. Living walls are part of climate-proof construction and significantly improve air quality. The wall filters convert CO2 into oxygen and just 1sqm of a living wall creates 1.7kg of oxygen. Although common in office spaces, universities across the world are tapping into the wellbeing benefits of bringing the outdoors in, installing them in libraries, shared common areas and even kitchens. The University of Leeds is currently planning a living wall for its theatre space, which will join a growing collection of public artwork on campus which is inspired by peatlands across the northern region.
2) Recycled art: Recycled art provides a new purpose for objects that have satisfied their original use. Using waste material otherwise destined for the skip in artwork conserves resources and reduces the amount of waste going to landfill. Decorok by Diamik Glass is manufactured using 100 percent recycled glass and is an example of how a material formerly discarded by waste, can be crafted into a thing of beauty. Decorok can also be fully recycled at the end of its life to produce other items - another consideration when drafting sustainable building design plans for large communal spaces within a university campus.
3) Reusing material: Student accommodation projects must also consider how they can recycle materials to create something new. Pioneering projects paving the way in sustainable building design within student accommodation include the ensuite bathroom overhaul from King’s College Cambridge from Diamik Glass. The college’s undergraduate accommodation block, Kings Croft, underwent a renovation by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios comprising new-build accommodation and refurbished communal facilities. An exemplar approach to sustainability was required as the brief demanded low carbon emissions and Passivhaus standards and stipulated that the scheme should be designed for a lifetime of 100 years. It is expected Croft Gardens will be carbon negative for the first 7-10 years of operation, driven in a large part by the embodied sequestered carbon through use of cross-laminated timber (CLT) for its structure, a low-carbon alternative to concrete, and timber as an internal finishing material. To minimise the amount of new material being installed in the project, 112 vanity tops along with several splashbacks were fitted using our sustainable surface product – ecorok. This is created using intercepted waste glass which is crushed, colour sorted and polished before being bonded using a specially formulated VOC free resin to create sustainable and durable surfaces. Diamik Glass’ £150,000 contract with King’s also included the supply and installation of sustainable surfaces for the communal kitchen areas in each of the four blocks.
4) Adopting green technology: Developers should also consider sourcing materials locally and implementing waste management strategies to minimise any waste or surplus product. This means universities working closely with designers and architecture firms to ensure all future building and campus designs optimise light and ventilation, in turn reducing energy consumption, and allowing the integration of green technologies such as solar panels and eco-friendly HVAC systems.
