Leeds Trinity University Refurbishment
Desco designed the mechanical and electrical services for the new 57,000ft2 city campus, which had sustainability at the forefront of the design and was designed to meet BREEAM Excellent as a minimum in design and operation.
The seven-storey building was converted from an office building to a university campus with facilities including a board room, law court, custody suite and specialist labs to enhance the experience for students studying Business, Law, Computer Science, Criminology, and Construction and Built Environment, and allow them to become familiar with the environment and equipment they’ll use in the workplace.
Originally designed to be naturally ventilated, the building had to be redesigned to be mechanically ventilated to make it suitable for educational use, heightened by the plans to increase occupancy. The building was also disconnected from the main gas supply and converted to be powered entirely through electricity, making it carbon zero ready. The heat pumps were also put into use to provide both heating and cooling, which contributes towards the drive to become zero carbon.
All previous building services were removed and replaced with new systems, which are considerably more efficient, and lighting was updated to high efficiency LED lighting, rather than fluorescent, significantly helping reduce the university’s energy consumption. Lighting at the campus was designed with a bespoke system in place which offers daylight harvesting and occupancy sensor capabilities which automatically adjust light levels based on the natural light levels and room usage.
Tunable white, glare-free lighting was also designed and installed to help enhance focus and productivity, as well as catering for neurodiverse students and staff by allowing adaptable lighting.
Lighting was tailored to the room’s use, with classrooms, corridors, and communal areas having different requirements, while also ensuring the integration of architectural vision and sustainability goals.
As well as teaching facilities, the campus also features a library with a range of spaces for group and quiet working, a café, multi-faith prayer room and helpdesk services.
Project
Leeds Trinity University Refurbishment
Location
Leeds, West Yorkshire
Value
£11m