Bristol Green Capital Member AWW have received an award for producing the best sustainable further education building in Wales.
The award, presented by national body BRE (Building Research Establishment), for the Ystrad Mynach College building in Caerphilly where AWW were the lead architect. In order to win an award, each building must have excelled in every environmental category within BREEAM (BRE Environmental Assessment Method) and therefore winners represent a holistic approach to delivering environmental sustainability.
The new Ystrad Mynach College building in Caerphilly is a four-storey teaching block that includes general classrooms, a hair and beauty studio, a learning resource centre and a new refectory and kitchen facilities. It is being constructed within the existing site of the building being replaced, which was a two-storey teaching block dating from the 1960s - when the College was first commissioned.
The aim is to build a new, high quality facility that meets Ystrad Mynach College's ever increasing aspirations. With a gross internal area of 1435m2, it will provide much needed expansion space for the College, which continues to grow in response to the needs of the local area. Construction of the building is due to be completed in July 2010.
The project is majority funded by the Welsh Assembly for whom a critical requirement was that the building achieve a BREEAM ‘Excellent' rating.
The approach to delivering the project and features of the design that received commendations included scrutinising every aspect of the build and materials used to improve environmental performance, a green roof, natural ventilation strategy and an energy performance 31% over building regulation requirements through excellent design and installation of a biomass boiler.
AWW are a group of architects, masterplanners, interior designers and technologists active for 34 years, committed to providing clients with imaginative and realistic solutions to a wide range of clients.
for more information on the Ystrad Mynach College project approach and building features see page 3 of the attached pdf BREEAM awards summary.
For more information on BREEAM see: http://www.breeam.org/page.jsp?id=66