South West College
Location: Enniskillen, Northern Ireland
Architect: Hamilton Architects LLP
Summary
The new £29m South West College in Enniskillen, designed by Hamilton Architects LLP and built by Tracey Brothers Ltd, will see the delivery of the first educational building worldwide to achieve the highest international standard in environmental constructions – PassivHaus Premium. Delivering an average project façade u-value of 0.8w/m2K, ranks it alongside prestigious buildings such as the Apple Campus 2 in terms of sustainable innovation and design. The new building faces south in a curved form, maximising daylight and solar gains, facing towards the town and the Erne River. It arcs around a landscaped public space to the north. A 15 metre deep atrium is central to the design, providing functionality whilst acting as a winter garden and encouraging daylight and ventilation. Classrooms are designed with a buffer zone and north-facing windows to reduce glare and overheating risk. The design is predicted to achieve an indoor air temperature of 20°C. The addition of this new Erne Academy will provide a legacy project to enhance educational and economic development regionally, nationally and internationally.
Glass
6mm Vista Therm Elite 1.0, Toughened, 14mm Black Warm Edge Spacer (PSI 0.036)
6mm Vista Therm Elite 1.0, Toughened, 14mm Black Warm Edge Spacer (PSI 0.036), 6MM Clear Float, Toughened.
Argon Gas Filled
Details
Located on the site of a former hospital in Enniskillen, and covering a treated floor area of 7,115m2, the new education facility will house almost 500 students & staff.
John Tracey, Managing Director, Tracey Brothers Limited, explained the academy will be an "innovative knowledge transfer tool". "We envisage this wider learning experience will provide mutual long-term benefits to both the academic and construction communities in technology, innovation and sustainability. South West College and Tracey Brothers have identified the One Planet Living Principles as a set of measures on which to develop the Learning from the Erne Academy; these principles were applied to support and deliver the bid to host the London 2012 Olympics. "Therefore, through the Erne Academy, students, researchers and teaching academics will be able to identify industry best practice in relation to the use of technology and innovation to support sustainable living in the region. Areas such as, energy, environmental impact, water usage, and sustainable construction techniques will be examined in relation to design and building applications for domestic and commercial buildings in the future. A team of undergraduate and PHD researchers working and studying at South West College will lead on these developments, in conjunction with industry and innovation partners," he said.
Awards
Winner of the Public Sector Project Design Stage Award at the prestigious BREEAM Awards 2021.
Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education 2020/2022.
RICS UK Project of the Year 2022