Sustainability experts at Focus Consultants
have been appointed to help Nottingham’s new Digital Media Hub become one of
the top three environmentally sustainable sites in the city.
The £9.1 million Confetti Institute of
Creative Technologies is scheduled to be the flagship part of Nottingham Trent
University’s Creative Quarter Campus and the main site of the Confetti
Institute.
Work has just got underway on site on the six-storey
building, which will connect the existing Confetti college centre on Convent
Street and the Higher Education Centre on Parliament Street.
Designed by award-winning architects Allan
Joyce, the striking building is hoping to achieve a BREEAM Excellent rating,
with the expectation that it will be one of the most environmentally
sustainable buildings in Nottingham.
Focus, which has its headquarters at
Nottingham’s Phoenix Business Park, has been appointed as the BREEAM Assessor
and the BREEAM Accredited Professional, providing the design team with expert
advice on built environment sustainability, environmental design and
environmental assessment.
Senior sustainability surveyor Jessica Bullers said: “The Energy and
Sustainability team at Focus Consultants has had a long-standing, close
relationship with Nottingham Trent University, providing sustainability support
on a number of the university’s building projects.
“Working as the sustainability champion and simultaneously as the BREEAM
assessor, we have established a good assessment process - leading to this
latest project being potentially one of the most highly rated BREEAM buildings
at the university, which is well recognised for being the UK’s ‘greenest’
university. For the
past three years, NTU has been awarded first place in the People
& Planet University League, which ranks all 145 UK universities on their
commitment to and management of sustainability.
“Focus is proud to have been appointed to the team developing the
Confetti Institute of Creative Technologies, which is not only a flagship part
of NTU’s Creative Quarter Campus but likely to become one of Nottingham’s most
environmentally friendly buildings too – an honour for a Nottingham-based
company like Focus, which has been supporting the city in its development for
more than 21 years.”
The new hub, due to be completed by summer
2018, will feature spacious contemporary classrooms and studios, a large Learning
Resource Centre with private study facilities, creative social spaces and a
rooftop garden. In addition to acting as Confetti’s headquarters and main
reception, it will deliver all digital media games and interactive activity.
Work began before Christmas demolishing part of the existing Confetti
site on Parliament Street to make way for the new build. The demolition unearthed some key
archaeological findings including Medieval artefacts, caves and a 700-year old
well that have helped
rewrite the history of Medieval Nottingham and provide information about the
way the area was used over 700 years ago.
Contractor Stepnell has now begun work on
site.
Focus Consultants, which also has branches
in Leicester, London and Boston and Aubourn in Lincolnshire, offers a range of
support on all aspects of sustainable development, as well as services in
funding and economic development, project management and building surveying.
For more information visit www.focus-consultants.co.uk
Press release issued by Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk
