New student accommodation at UWE Bristol which is the largest low carbon
development of its kind in the UK has been completed.
Purdown View, a 900-bedroom student village at Frenchay campus, will be
fully occupied for the next academic year starting in September.
With sustainability
at its heart, the groundbreaking development has received Passivhaus
certification for meeting the highest possible eco credentials. Passivhaus
buildings provide excellent occupant comfort while using little energy for
heating and cooling. Purdown View will reduce energy by 81% and carbon by 79%
per room compared with the housing it replaced.
Students living at Purdown View will benefit from a comfortable temperature
year-round and improved internal air quality, thanks to sustainability features
including triple glazed windows, high levels of insulation and a mechanical
ventilation system. As a fossil fuel-free development, any heating required
will be generated by air-source heat pumps and electricity will come from solar
panels.
Residents have vibrant green spaces and a new public art sculpture garden on
their doorstep, boosting biodiversity
on campus and supporting student mental health and wellbeing.
Professor Sir Steve West, Vice-Chancellor at UWE Bristol, said: “We are
extremely proud to have completed the largest Passivhaus-accredited student
housing project in the UK. It demonstrates our determination to address the
challenges of climate change, move towards our 2030 carbon targets and our
commitment to student wellbeing and experience.
“We’re looking forward to seeing these fantastic new energy efficient
residences being fully occupied by our students later in the year, helping
address the shortage of student accommodation in the city and fulfilling our
commitment to make more high quality, purpose-built accommodation available on
campus for our first-year students.
“Purdown View has been partially occupied since January and we have received
very positive feedback from students, who have told us they are proud and
excited to be part of an innovative development designed to be as energy
efficient as possible and tackle climate change issues.”
Arranged across three blocks on a site formerly occupied by Carrol Court
student accommodation, the 26,000m2 ultra low energy scheme was designed by
Stride Treglown, Curtins, Amber and QODA, with construction led by VINCI
Building.
With the development completely airtight to minimise heat loss, occupants
will rarely need to use heating as the accommodation retains warmth
particularly well. Shading has been added to windows, and the layout of the
buildings has been arranged with the path of the sun in mind, to restrict heat
gain and ensure residents are comfortable in the summer months.
The landscape design, led by Stride Treglown in consultation with the
university’s grounds team, will lead to major gains in biodiversity across the
site. Landscaped courtyards, orchard-planting and green corridors have been
developed following national Building
with Nature standards, to which UWE Bristol researchers have contributed.
The public
art sculptures, set in green space outside Purdown View, were created by
artists Juneau Projects in collaboration with the university and Arnolfini,
centre of contemporary arts in Bristol and part of UWE Bristol’s City Campus.
The series of bronze sculptures and brick clay seating structures are based on
the natural forms of mosses and similar plants. Developed with input from
staff, students and local residents following a series of workshops, the
sculpture garden has been designed as a community space that connects people to
nature and becomes a welcoming place for meeting, recreation, study and quiet
reflection.
