Client’s Requirements

The University of Bradford has an ‘Ecoversity’ programme which aims to embed the principles and practice of sustainable development across the entire institution by getting people in involved, taking the lead on issues, and encouraging and making it easier for people to adopt sustainable behaviours and lifestyles. As a result of this each new project has defined sustainable requirements.

This commission involved the construction of a new building to exhibit and facilitate education into sustainable technologies and environments for visitors and the University community, alongside accommodation for related start-up businesses. The building was expected to achieve an Outstanding BREEAM rating (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method), and was expected to be the first such building to reach this standard in the country. The building was to occupy the space between Richmond Road and Ashfield, on the site of the current Ashfield car park. The site was to be hoarded during the progress of the works for occupation by the contractors with pedestrian access re-routed around the site.

The University appointed Silcock Leedham as part of the design team to redevelop the 1960’s Horton A building.  The brief was to provide a naturally ventilated low energy building based on an existing concrete frame structure where the high thermal m ass had been used to moderate peak time temperatures in the building.

Silcock Leedham’s Contribution

Silcock Leedham was appointed by the University to sit client side throughout the project duration.  Our appointment was to provide an enhanced performance specification to RIBA Stage D+ for the building services and to monitor the Contractor’s emerging design and construction progress.

In addition, we  carried out detailed thermal and CFD modelling of the natural ventilation strategy to identify the most efficient arrangement and configuration of natural ventilation openings whilst retaining acoustic integrity, weather protection and solar shading.      

Added Value / Unique Selling Points

In order to make sure the correct services were developed Silcock Leedham conducted detailed surveys of the existing services, existing plant capacity, infrastructure capacity and points of connections into existing service.