Refurbishing Old Buildings to Enhance Sustainability
Course: BEng (Hons) Building Services Engineering
Completed: May 2020
Number of students: 23 part time students
Brief: Review seven of the oldest buildings on campus and make refurbishment recommendations which would enhance the building’s sustainability performance.
Semester 1: Work in teams to survey your allocated building and to determine its current construction, and mechanical and electrical services provision, as well as to build a detailed understanding of how the building is used.
Semester 2: Work individually to assess the technical and financial viability of a range of refurbishment ideas to enhance sustainability.
Recommendations:
A wide range of outcomes were recommended including replacing glazing and improving air tightness and insulation levels. Additional suggestions included:
- Improve the timetabling of rooms and to link this to the heating system to prevent spaces being heated when not necessary.
- Continue upgrading the lighting systems with LED lighting and ensure that luminaires are wired to allow those closest to windows to be turned off when appropriate.
- Fit mechanical ventilation with heat recovery to the larger naturally ventilated rooms.
- Use of sun-pipes on the upper floors.
- Consider connecting the campus to the proposed Civic Quarter District Energy Scheme.
- These suggestions have been referred to the University’s Carbon Manager for consideration.
“I worked very hard on [this project] and it was an enjoyable and fulfilling experience. [It] made me realise my potential and I hope this is only the beginning...” (Student’s reflections on completing this project).
