This new state-of-the-art Tech Park provides new engineering and digital creative technology facilities to support 500 new science, technology, engineering, and maths undergraduate and postgraduate student places per year. The facilities provide a TV production studio, a green room and a “create, design, implement and operate” (CDIO) engineering space. Also included are a machine shop, welding area and fabricating laboratory (fab lab). In addition, an Institute for Sustainable Enterprise, and a Centre for Digital Technology, located in a new signature building, and will enable the creation of a Research Centre for Sustainable Operations and Departments of Data Science and Advanced Engineering & Design.
Passivhaus design principals were applied resulting in running costs efficiencies. Sustainability was key and several added value benefits were achieved, for example by protecting and increasing biodiversity levels in the stream which runs separates the buildings from the carpark during the construction works and inclusion of a swale.
BREEAM Excellent was achieved with exemplar levels of Responsible Construction Practices six weeks post completion.
The Grand Opening was attended by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
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The Challenge
As the site was in a flood zone 3, this required the design teams to collaborate with us and our supply chain partners to finalise the design and construction methodologies as early as possible. We collaborated with the novated design team to fully understand the flood risks and several modelling assessments were undertaken to ensure that design was right first time.
