Barnsley College, Think Low Carbon Centre

We provided mechanical and electrical engineering feasibility and detailed design, together with BREEAM assessor duties for a new building dedicated to vocational courses associated with renewable energy technologies.

The Centre includes a visitors’ centre, classrooms and workshops, together with a large central plant space designed to be accessible to the students for study purposes.

The Centre, which achieved BREEAM “Excellent” rating, was built utilising different construction materials in each of the two wings (traditional masonry/straw bales) to assess how the internal environment differs.

The Centre incorporates: solar thermal collectors; biomass boiler-plant; rainwater harvesting; natural ventilation; passive solar gain; wind catchers; air source heat pumps; evaporative cooling; and high levels of daylight.