5 December 2006

Queen Mother Building awarded RICS sustainability award

Event notice - Tuesday December 5th, 11 am.
Queen Mother Building,
University of Dundee

The Queen Mother Building at the University of Dundee has been praised from the outside for its striking appearance and won over staff and students inside as an inspiring place to work and study. But the building is about even more than looks and comfort, as recognised by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors Scotland, who have made it the winner of their Sustainability Award 2006.

The building, which was designed by architects Page & Park, was developed with energy efficiency as a major consideration. Mechanical and electrical design engineers Harley Haddow, together with the University’s own department of Estates and Buildings developed many of the building’s energy efficient solutions.

The building utilises a previously untapped `low grade’ heat source from the University’s own Combined Heat & Power plant, which means the building is heated at zero cost and prevents further increases in carbon dioxide emissions.

This saves £15k per year in utility costs and reduces CO2 emissions by approximately 100 tonnes per annum.

Local materials were used where possible in its construction to minimise transport costs, American White Oak harvested from managed forests was used for wood finishes, and carpets came from a supplier who can uplift and recycle for future use.

Presenting the RICS Sustainability Award today (Dec 5th) Graeme Hartley, Director of RICS Scotland, said:

"Sustainability is a vital part of creating an environment that will stand the test of time and minimise any potential negative impact on our surroundings. With a distinctive design and a demonstrable commitment to sustainability, the Queen Mother Building is an icon of the future. The building combines excellent design with sustainable credentials ensuring it is built to last."

The award was welcomed by Sir Alan Langlands, Principal of the University of Dundee, who said:

"It is a particular pleasure to accept this sustainability award on behalf of the University at a time when climate change is one of the greatest challenges that mankind has ever faced."

"Now, more than ever before, new buildings have a legal and moral obligation to limit harmful emissions. Changes to the Building regulations and new high technological solutions help to achieve this goal. The Queen Mother Building is a magnificent example of how we can provide a comfortable, practical, user-friendly building that is also environmentally friendly and sustainable."

Sir Alan also said the time had come for users of buildings such as the QMB to rise to meet the standards set by the designers.

"Any measure of the environmental performance of a building has to include the behaviour of the occupants; a major factor in determining energy use is the awareness and attitude of individual members of staff," he said.

"The greatest progress will have been achieved when it is perceived by the majority to be morally incorrect to waste energy or materials. Although we may report rather than accept someone dropping litter, at present we cannot say the same for wasting energy or resources."

"This building represents a significant step in the right direction for the Dundee University community."

The QMB is designed in clusters of spaces grouped around a central services spine. These spaces take the form of circular ‘pods’.

On the west side of the building are the computer and research labs, together with the lecturers’ offices. The circular shape of the labs allows through ventilation and the positioning of the offices between allows natural ventilation into the labs, removing the requirement for air conditioning systems.

On the east side are the more public spaces, such as Wolfson Research theatre, seminar and lecture rooms and a Cyber café. These pods are free standing within a triple height atrium space and are linked back to the spine by bridges. This space has the feel of an internal street.

The building has been designed to be easily accessible by people of all abilities and ages and the ground floor has level access from the outside. All upper level areas are accessible by passenger lift and all floors are level throughout.

Staff and students in the School of Computing, which occupies the building, have found themselves inspired by their new surroundings, as Professor Peter Gregor, head of the School, explained:

"Since we moved into this fantastic building just over a year ago, staff and students have been totally bowled over by the quality of the working environment. The building actively encourages communication and collaboration, which is such an essential part of what we do in the computing field - it's a tribute to the design and development teams that they have produced a building which is not only a superb and prestigious working environment, but which has also been designed with an eye to a sustainable future."

The RICS Scotland Awards recognise the best of the built environment across four categories: building conservation, community benefit, regeneration and sustainability.

The RICS Awards have been running for over 15 years. Previous winners of RICS Scotland Awards include Morgan Academy, Dundee (Building Conservation 2005), Maggies Centre, Inverness (Community Benefit 2006), Broughton House Museum, Kirkcudbright (Building Conservation 2006), Tron Square, Edinburgh (Regeneration 2006).

For media enquiries contact:

Roddy Isles
Head, Press Office
University of Dundee
Nethergate Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384910
E-MAIL: r.isles@dundee.ac.uk