→ Minimum BREEAM Excellent
→ 40% reduction in regulated CO2 emissions compared to the Part L Building Regulations
→ 1200 sqm array of PV cells
→ Passive design
UCL East is the largest single expansion of University College London (UCL) since it was founded in Bloomsbury nearly 200 years ago. Marshgate, the 35,000 sqm state of art academic research and academic building, currently on site, will bring together cross-disciplinary UCL expertise. The centre of the UCL East academic vision, it will unite Experiments, Arts, Society, and Technology (EAST) across taught programmes, research, and innovation, in such areas as creativity and material culture, future global cities and experimental engineering.
The first building within the UCL East masterplan, the project will serve as a model for the sustainable university campus of the future — open, dynamic and overcoming the conventional barriers between research, education, innovation, public engagement and collaboration. Opening onto the riverside, the scheme will provide an animated public realm, and will engage with the Olympic Park and the surrounding community.
Due for completion in 2022, the building includes a range of laboratories, research and group working spaces, design studios, student-led fabrication workshops, and exhibition areas. The design is focused around collaborative social areas, promoting interdisciplinary work and interaction between teaching and research, staff and students, academics and the public.
The project embraces circular economy principles and is designed around a series of passive design strategies including the use of thermal mass for summer night cooling, natural ventilation, fabric first approach and maximising use of natural daylight and reducing heat gain through an optimised façade design. Key sustainable features also include biodiverse roofs, renewable technologies, rainwater harvesting and underground cycle storage.
Active systems such as highly efficient mechanical ventilation, heating and cooling systems and low energy LED lighting reduce the overall energy requirements. The development is served by the local district heating network.
From inception, the project adopted a long life — loose fit strategy including a fabric first approach with optimised facades to mitigate thermal gain, whilst maximising daylighting and views out. Well ventilated workspaces feature automated openable windows, enhancing user wellbeing, whilst allowing the heat accumulated in the concrete floor slabs during the day to be released at night, minimising the need for cooling.
