• Swindon & Wiltshire Property
• Tuesday November 19 2024
• Author Name: Peter Davison

UWE’s sustainable student accommodation wins national climate action award

A sustainable accommodation block built for students at UWE has won the 2030 Climate Action award at the annual UK & Ireland Green Gown Awards.

The 900-bedroom student village at the university’s Frenchay campus is the largest certified Passivhaus student accommodation development in the UK.

The Green Gown Awards celebrates the exceptional sustainability initiatives being undertaken by universities and colleges.

The development has been considered groundbreaking for its sustainability credentials, reducing energy by 81 per cent and carbon by 79 per cent per room compared with the housing it replaced.

Purdown View has achieved Passivhaus certification, a sustainable approach to building which uses techniques to retain warmth and save energy on heating.

The Green Gown Award judges felt that Purdown View “proves that dedication, strategic effort, and early-stage investment can yield substantial long-term savings while achieving exceptional results in carbon reduction and energy efficiency”.

UWE Bristol also received a highly commended award in the Nature Positive category for BEELINE, the university’s initiative which integrates nature by providing an accessible network of edible pollinator planting across UWE campuses.

10 ‘core’ plants have been chosen to provide food for staff and students as well as vital foraging opportunities for a wide variety of bees and other pollinating insects.

The project aims to help tackle the decline in pollinator numbers by sustaining local populations within the built environment.

Kirsti Norris, energy manager at UWE Bristol said: “We’re really proud of Purdown View, which demonstrates our commitment at UWE to address climate change and move towards our 2030 carbon targets.

“Purdown View is allowing our students to live sustainably on campus and engaging them in thinking about environmental impact. It’s wonderful that we’ve been recognised by the Green Gown Awards for the important work that is taking place across our campuses towards a more sustainable future.”