At the University of Essex we believe in responsible construction and refurbishment.
All our new build and refurbishment projects are assessed for sustainability performance and impacts, with BREEAM ‘very good’ as the minimum rating expected for major building projects.
Any new building must incorporate in 15% renewables, this is increased where funding allows.
We have a preference to invest in FSC certified furniture that complies with our ethical purchasing commitments.
Case study:
Over the last 18 months the Estates department has undertaken a series of projects under the umbrella of the SWAE programme (Smart Working at Essex), two of these projects have taken office space, currently not being used at optimum efficiency due to new working at home protocol and converted them into teaching space for our Health and Social Care department.
The combined area is circa 1000Sqm, which now provides teaching capacity for 300 + students. The work was undertaken in two sections by Rose Builders and TJ Evers, both local contractors in Essex.
The spaces were designed with modern facilities including new flooring supplied by IVC commercial who’s sustainability goals and practices include using wind and solar energy generation to power their manufacturing, along with a high recycled content to their carpet tiles and vinyl. These products also have a great lifespan and will offer the University a great looking space for years to come. We have also upgraded all areas with low energy LED lighting which under our standard practices are set to switch off when not in use, installed a new mechanical heating and ventilation system ensuring all areas comply with current building regulations but are able to power down based on CO2 sensors when not in use to ensure the output matches the requirement at any one time. Our in house Maintenance team manage these systems remotely, giving the estates team full control over output.
State of the art IT infrastructure & equipment has been installed in these spaces giving the University maximum flexibility for use in the future allowing us to cut down on the volume of new spaces required, creating a multi-functional approach to teaching, studying and working at Essex.