Project Insight

Education

Client: VolkerFitzpatrick Ltd

Location: Highbury College, Portsmouth

Sector: Education

Service: Dynamic Simulation Modelling (DSM) / Energy Performance Certificates

Background

Officially opened by HRH Princess Anne, the campus redevelopment formed part of Portsmouth’s two-phase initiative aimed at transforming further education and training in the city. This multi-million pound project is intended to open up employment and vocational training opportunities for school leavers and adults. Billed as the ‘flagship college for the south coast’, Highbury College also uses one of the largest ground-source heat pump installations of its kind in the UK, with 60 boreholes dug 80 meters deep into the ground.

Project

Stroma was appointed by VolkerFitzpatrick to conduct a carbon emission and energy assessment for Highbury’s Cosham College, Portsmouth. Ultimately Stroma was employed to check that the building and its design complied with Building Regulation Approved Document L2A. Due to the complex nature of the building, and the application of motorised brise soleil to the ‘glazed street’ area, this assessment had to be carried out using the dynamic simulation modelling (DSM) software, IES Virtual Environment. The DSM software is able to provide accurate simulation of the thermal dynamic response of buildings, via its unique APACHE calculation engine.

Outcome

Stroma also produced the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) for the campus in which it achieved an asset rating of B, on an ‘A-G’ performance scale.