A £30.4million student accommodation building, built by GB Building Solutions in partnership with mechanical and electrical contractor Balfour Beatty Engineering Services (BBES) has just been awarded the highest ever Design Stage BREEAM rated building in the world with a ground-breaking score of 95.05%. Built for Listerhills Limited, a joint venture between the Hayaat Group and Welbeck Land, and managed by Mi7, The Green contains 1,026 bedrooms across six and seven storey apartments and four storey townhouses. Designed by GWP Architecture, the project was completed in just 84 weeks, finishing on schedule despite being built through the worst winter on record. Featuring preâ€fabricated open panel timber wall frames, with materials from sustainable sources, the design delivered a highly efficient building envelope which minimises the need for space heating. Bathroom pods were sourced locally and craned into place as completed units to maximise productivity and reduce waste. As part of the scheme, BBES delivered a £6 million M&E package. This included a rainwater harvesting system, a CHP (Combined heat and Power) system and a hot water system that utilises solar thermal collectors. In addition, BBES installed all ventilation, underground site services, including gas, water, electricity and district heating, as well fire alarms, CCTV, data and TV cabling, an access control system and the BMS (Building Management System). “We are delighted The Green has become the world’s highest ever Design Stage BREEAM rated building,” commented Andy Lawrence, Project Engineer at BBES. “This was a very challenging project, due to the scale of this project and the sheer number of rooms, but its successful completion is testimony to the efforts of the project team and further illustrates BBES’s commitment to delivering sustainable schemes.” Martin Smout, chairman and chief executive of GB Building Solutions, said: “GB Building Solutions are delighted to be at the forefront of the construction industry in delivering the highest scoring BREEAM assessed building ever in any category. This has been achieved through innovative design, attention to detail and full integration of the team with clear focus and passion for what can be achieved. It clearly demonstrates the ‘art of the possible’ in mitigating the impact of buildings on the environment and I hope stimulates greater demand for sustainable buildings in the future.” Now complete, The Green includes a wide range of internal sustainable features that will teach students how to live in an environmentally sustainable way. Bradford University will also operate a financial rebate system for student residents who are most careful with their energy usage. The Green is the initial phase of the Bradford Learning Quarter, a key regeneration area of Bradford city centre. Mi7 has already made progress on the next phase within the Learning Quarter which is set to deliver further student accommodation and also attract occupiers from the retail, health, fitness and private nursery sector. The combined investment in The Green and the Listerhills Triangle is set to exceed £100m and will transform an area much in need of regeneration, as well as deliver numerous economic benefits in the local area.
