Building of the Year - Winner - The Alexander Building
The Alexander Building, University of Exeter, has been awarded Building of the Year at Michelmores and Western Morning News' Commercial Property Awards.
Hoare Lea was appointed by the University of Exeter to design the mechanical and electrical services for the new building.
The building houses the School of Art, Drama and Literature. Part new build and part refurbishment, the project involved the integration of a large addition to the department while retaining the setting of the original Victorian villa (known as the White House) within Exeter's St David's Conservation Area. The main purpose was to provide two new multi-use studios, but the brief also included offices, workshops, post-graduate suite, costume store and a double height entrance atrium.
The ventilation and cooling design of the multi-use studios was particularly challenging. The client originally wanted a naturally ventilated building. However the original Performing Arts spaces had previously suffered from overheating and as the brief was to accommodate up to 70 people at a time within each studio, following consultations with the client, the scheme developed as a hybrid system. This comprised comfort cooling with additional mechanical extract ventilation during times of high occupancy. Opening windows also help to minimise energy use, while maximising air quality.
The design has been a great success - the project has now been through its first summer and has been a great success with the studio spaces maintaining comfortable working conditions.
Client: University of Exeter
Architect: Kensington Taylor
Building Services Engineer: Hoare Lea
Structural Engineer: Faber Maunsell
Cost Consultant: WT Hills
Contractor: Cowlin Construction
