1 April 2008

Green Gown Awards success for New Teaching Block

The University Of Dundee’s efforts to cut its carbon footprint have been recognised in the latest Green Gown Awards, held each year to promote sustainable development within the higher and further education sectors.

The University has been named the winner of this year’s Green Gown award for energy and water efficiency, after making a submission based around the New Teaching Block on Old Hawkhill, which was opened by The Queen last summer.

The £15 million building was designed so that it can be heated re-using low grade heat from the University’s Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plant. It also uses solar shading, heat recovery systems, intelligent lighting and water controls.

The New Teaching Block is the second university building to find success in the prestigious Green Gown Awards in the past two years. The Queen Mother Building, home to the School of Computing, was highly commended last year for sustainable construction. It also picked up The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors Scotland’s Sustainability Award in 2006.

Gordon Davies, Head of Estates and a member of the University’s Environmental Task Group, welcomed news of the University’s most recent win.

"We are delighted that the New Teaching Block has been recognised as this year's most intelligent building in the UK in terms of its use of energy and water," he said.

"Investment in technical solutions such as this complements the work of the University's Environment Task Group, which has a clear focus on reducing our consumption of precious resources, reducing waste and encouraging everyone to consider the environment as they go about their daily business."

The Environment Task Group was set up last year to improve the University’s environmental efforts and coordinate the work already being done. Led by Professor Colin Reid, an environmental law specialist within the School of Law and University Secretary David Duncan, the group includes staff and students.

Its key focus areas are energy and utilities usage, waste management and recycling, green travel and fair trade.

Since it began, work has been underway to raise environmental awareness amongst staff and students and encourage recycling and energy saving. As a result nearly 1000 paper recycling bins have been put in place across the campus, posters offering recycling advice have been issued and departments throughout the university have been urged to switch to double-sided and network printers.

Three new aluminium, glass and paper recycling points are also being introduced to the campus.

An environmental newsletter offering advice, news and energy saving hints is also being planned as is a Green Travel Survey and to assess the numbers of vehicles coming onto the campus.

Dundee was the first university in Scotland to have a CHP plant. This was installed in 1996 and due to its efficiency the University is exempt from paying Climate Change Levy.

NOTES TO EDITORS
The Green Gown Awards are organised by the Higher Education Environmental Performance Improvement project (www.heepi.org.uk)

For media enquiries contact:
Roddy Isles
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University of Dundee
Nethergate Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384910
E-MAIL: r.isles@dundee.ac.uk