Three New Sustainable Buildings for Liverpool University

University of Liverpool’s students and academics can now enjoy three new sustainable city centre campus buildings which have recently been completed thanks to award winning consultants WYG.

WYG, technical consultancy for the built and natural environment have successfully completed three major projects for their client, University of Liverpool which has recently opened the doors of Vine Court student accommodation, the Ronald Ross Building and soon to open Central Teaching Laboratories.

 

Vine Court

Vine Court is a £45million student residential complex located at the heart of the University’s city centre campus. The significant investment by the University in its student accommodation ensures making the overall student experience world-class that the quality of the student accommodation now matches the excellence of its teaching provision.

The sustainable student accommodation is designed to the highest standards of design and energy performance and has achieved a BREEAM “Excellent” rating in recognition of its low environmental impact.  The buildings utilise innovative heat pump systems to provide low energy heating to all bedrooms.  Special ventilation systems provide fresh air to every room which is heated by recovering waste heat from air extracted from kitchen and shower areas.  Solar thermal panels heat water for showering, rainwater collected from the roofs is used to flush the toilets and ultra low energy LED lighting is used in internal areas.

There are both green and brown roofs, providing environmentally friendly habitats for local flora and fauna, utilising local plant mixes and also building material and rubble from the excavated site. The buildings also include built-in nest boxes for swifts and bats, integrated seamlessly into the external brickwork.

Ronald Ross Building 

The new Ronald Ross building is an 18,000m2 biosciences research facility for the Institute of Infection and Global Health and has been successfully completed to replace ageing NHS and University buildings in the area. 200 scientists will study infectious diseases and other global health issues at the facility.

The state-of-the-art scientific research facility officially opened on 9 October 2012 and is named after Sir Ronald Ross, who received a Nobel Prize in 1902 for the discovery of the mode of spread of malaria.

The building was opened by his grandson David Ross, who said: “It was wonderful to see my grandfather’s legacy recognised in this way”.

The University’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir Howard Newby, said:  “The facility’s labs will bring together the brightest minds from medicine, biomedicine, veterinary health, and biological sciences”.

Central Teaching Laboratories 

With the official opening set for Monday 22 October, the new state of the art Central Teaching Laboratories will provide undergraduate science teaching facilities for the University to complement the existing science faculties.

The building is a highly flexible multi functional space for the teaching of physical sciences including shared facilities for a range of departments including Chemistry, Physics, Geography, Earth and Ocean Sciences and Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology.

All three projects’ aspirational environmental objectives has been met including high energy efficiency, use of sustainable technologies and are projects that makes a positive contribution to the external environment with a BREEAM target of “Excellent”.

WYG are continuing to work with the University of Liverpool on new projects including the next phase of new student residences called Crown Court and numerous projects including the Sports Centre refurbishment, the Garstang Museum of Archaeology and the refurbishment of Grade II listed buildings, 19-23 Abercromby Square.