Estates development

The sustainable development of our estate

The Poole Gateway building opened its doors in January 2020. As per our Sustainable Construction Policy and through the dedication and commitment of our Estates team, we are proud the building is rated BREEAM Excellent.

BU's commitment to sustainable development influences how we manage, specify, design and deliver building projects from the point of inception. I am immensely proud of the recent achievements of the BU project teams and our many external partners as this represents the culmination of many years work. Despite these achievements, we are not complacent, and we are committed to further enhancing our approach to sustainable development to ensure we play our role in supporting the achievement of BU's new CECAP."

Steve Cox, Head of Estates Development

The buildings incorporate sustainability features, such as Ground Source Heat Pumps, solar PV panels and rainwater harvesting. The Christchurch House laboratories refurbishment Phase 2 is on track to achieve the BREEAM ‘Very Good’ standard and the design stage of the Studland House refurbishment phase 2 has been awarded BREEAM excellent. 87% of waste was diverted from landfill for all construction projects. The recycling rate, the preferred disposal route, was only 18%, as the majority of waste for the BGB project was sent for recovery rather than recycling. Overall other projects achieved a 96.7% recycling rate; a great success which we will be seeking to achieve on all future projects.

Case study: Poole Gateway Building

Poole Gateway Building is our new 5,000m2 building providing specialist media and computing facilities within a budget of £27 million plus equipment of circa £4.6 million. The new building brought together the Faculty of Science & Technology and the Faculty Media & Communications to facilitate greater collaboration in line with BU’s strategy and Fusion model. The strategic project brief was provided via the local area master plan (Talbot master plan and SPD) and BU’s Estates Development Framework (EDF).

Willmott Dixon (WD), the principal contractor, was appointed via a two stage collaborative process, allowing BU to be involved in the selection of sub-contractors and approve proposals and final selections. WD has strong sustainability credentials, including policies and processes to manage its supply chain (certified by the Carbon Trust), and is certified to ISO14001. A BREEAM Advisory Professional was appointed to act as sustainability champion to offer advice on sustainable design throughout the design process.

Key elements for the project were:

• The design brief specified the need to achieve BREEAM

‘Excellent’ and EPC A, which was achieved • The building’s specialist areas, such as a TV studio, sound stage and PC laboratories, require cooling which is controlled via the Building Management

System to minimise energy use whilst maintaining a comfortable environment • A climate change adaption strategy appraisal was completed at design stage • Functional adaptability was considered at design stage, including the potential for refurbishment, plant replacement, adaptability etc • A pre planning public consultation process included statutory consultees assessing the environmental impacts of the building (Dorset Wildlife Trust, Natural

England, RSPB and the Environment Agency) • Ecologist recommendations were implemented including the use of native species for planting and provision of bird and bat boxes and habitat for dead wood invertebrates • Transport assessment and mitigation involved a separate infrastructure project which delivered a new bus hub, construction of adopted highway joining Fern Barrow to

Boundary roundabout and the extension of BU's park and stride car park • Life cycle environmental impacts of materials were assessed against the BRE Green Guide • A TM54 energy use study was completed and energy efficiency measures included LED lighting with daylight dimming, an extensive solar PV array, and energy efficient lifts • A rainwater harvesting system was installed and accounted for 96% of water use in the building in the first 6 months of operation • A site waste management plan ensured waste was managed responsibly; over the three years of on-site works 99% of waste was recycled The process of fine tuning the operation of the building has only just started and BU is committed to optimising building performance for 3 years post occupation with a target to achieve DEC A. Unfortunately, this project has been delayed due to the impacts of Covid.