The University of Leicester’s new Centre for Medicine is not only the largest investment in medical teaching and applied research by a UK university in the last decade, but also has the honour of being the largest non-residential Passivhaus building in the UK.
The £42m facility was developed by Willmott Dixon to a design by Birmingham-based Associated Architects to bring together academics, clinicians and students in one central location.
The building includes teaching rooms, offices, lecture theatres, dry lab research facilities and support spaces for more than 2,350 staff and students.
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Constructed to Passivhaus standards, it’s a major milestone for a university sector that is keen to reduce energy costs and consume energy more efficiently.
The centre has an A+ Energy Performance Certificate and includes a subsoil heat exchange system to pre-warm and pre-cool incoming air, heat recovery mechanisms within the ventilation system, and automated blinds to keep rooms cool in summer, as well as super-insulation, triple glazing and LED lighting throughout.
Above left: Interiors use natural light and LED lighting. Above right: A green roof has been designed to promote bio-diversity
It will also have its own green wall and roof with a planting regime designed to attract insects and birds to help pollination and promote bio-diversity. External planting will also help to reduce the overall temperature of the building.
A further challenge was the constrained site, hemmed in by other university buildings. This required the tower crane to be set up within the building’s footprint, and a “just-in-time” delivery system for materials due to the lack of storage space.
James Elliment, operations manager at Willmott Dixon, said: “Delivering a Passivhaus on such a large scale is not without its challenges and we employed a number of energy-efficient mechanisms to ensure that this standard was met.
“We have also installed solar photovoltaic panels on the roof, part of the roof is covered in wild flowers and the building has a green wall of vegetation – all contributing to the building’s sustainable credentials.”
