award winning architects

Thursday, 23 September 2010 00:00

UWE’s New Faculty Of Environment & Technology

Stride Treglown Finish UWE’s New Faculty Of Environment & Technology

Stride Treglown Architects has completed its work on a new academic facility at the University of the West of England.

The University, based in Bristol, enlisted the help of Stride Treglown – including Architect Andy Kingdon, an ex-student of UWE – to design a sustainable facility which would accommodate the Faculty of Environment & Technology, including, amongst others, architecture and product design students and staff.

The building consists of approximately 2700 sqm of teaching and office accommodation, informal learning spaces, a café, conferencing and training rooms and social spaces. With 2000 students housed adjacent to the site, key linking pedestrian paths have been introduced as well as the creation of a clearly defined entrance and plaza for the new building.

The design employs a number of innovative technologies and materials to deliver a highly sustainable building which can be used as a teaching tool and example for the architecture and design students working within it.

High levels of natural daylight are provided via large areas of glazing, controlled by external solar shading louvers and solar-controlled glazing. Highly sustainable materials have been specified including a new prefabricated straw bale cladding panel which will be used to enclose a 150 seat lecture space. The building is the first to use a new rainscreen cladding tile made from recycled slate and clay dust. A bio-fuel boiler and rainwater harvesting are also incorporated.

The scheme has achieved a BREEAM rating of 'Excellent', and is set to be the prototype for a new form of development principle at UWE, providing flexible teaching and social space.

Matt Tarling, Education Divisional Director at Stride Treglown, said: "With a value of around £7.5 million and the added element of creating a highly-sustainable prototype for University building, this development has been an exciting project for Stride Treglown. We hope the students and staff will find their new home inspiring as well as accommodates their needs."

Brisol UWE have also published a press release on their website where John Rushforth, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, is quoted as saying "This building is inspirational and we're proud and delighted that the University has produced such successful alumni capable of achieving so much. It is a very important building to us, since as we develop the rest of the campus, we are looking to apply many of the lessons we have learnt here. The ground floor space is available to all areas of the University, so many people will have the opportunity to experience a building fit for the students of the twenty-first century which is a really uplifting place to study."

You can read the full UWE press release here:
UWE's £7.5m flagship sustainable building open for business

For more information please go to the university projects section of our website:

projects / universities / Faculty of Environment & Technology, UWE
UWE’s New Faculty Of Environment & Technology