Space for 900 people, cathedral view and environmentally friendly

I t is envisaged that the threestorey building will be environmentally friendly, with what is described as a: “suspended solar shade screen running along the extent of the south elevation”.

The main entrance will be in the south-west corner with accesses the building via a large lobby and sliding glass security gates, overseen by a main reception desk.

A small café will be located immediately opposite the entrance.

There will be a 140-seat, twostorey high lecture hall at the entrance, and specialist ‘wet lab’ skills spaces for science, arts and health arranged around a shared informal study space. On the first floor, there will be classrooms, a library, a multifaith room, computer-based specialist skills laboratories and an electronics laboratory. A “central zone” will accommodate a range of informal study, seminar/meeting rooms and areas to wait between classes. On the second floor, there will be activity-based staff workspaces, shared classrooms and a Muslim prayer room. Again, a “central zone” will accommodate a range of informal study, seminar/meeting rooms and areas to wait between classes.

Moreover, each floor will include space for printers, water coolers, lockers and a microwave, while there will be gender neutral, accessible, male and female toilets.

A roof terrace in the north-west corner will face the cathedral. The building has been designed to accommodate a maximum of 915 people, comprising 100 staff and 815 students.

It will also incorporate:

• “Best practice design” to reduce CO2 emissions, which will include selecting materials with “enhanced thermal insulation and air tightness”

• Recycled materials and locally sourced construction materials wherever possible

• Solar panels on the roof

• Low and Zero Carbon (LZC) technology to decarbonise the energy supply, such as air source heat pump systems to transfer heat from outside to inside the building

• Low temperature heating networks within the building and reserved space to allow for the future connection of a low carbon district heating system that may come from local energy from a waste plant in Peterborough

• “Enhanced daylight provision” through “responsible window and roof light design” and automatic lighting controls

• A “sustainable drainage system” which will lessen the flood risk and “help to remove potentially contaminated material”

• Other water efficiency measures, such as low water capacity toilets

• Measures to encourage sustainable transport

• “Significant biodiversity gains” through the “enhancement and extension of habitats.