The part-timber frame building is one element of a £3m refurbishment of the university’s Department of Architecture and is designed to be an example of sustainable construction.
“The department’s new building is an exemplary sustainable building, with desing input from services engineers, structural engineers and architects with expertise in the field,” said Marcial Echenique, head of the Department of Architecture.
Timber was chosen as the medium of choice in the construction of the new studio due to the need for a naturally cooled building and for because the frame could be used to create a colonnade around a nearby grass court.
“The new studio building uses natural materials and efficient energy and construction systems which have minised the environmental impact of the building,” said Meredith Bowles, from Mole Architects, one of the designers behind the new studio.
