Greenest Building On Campus Completes At University Of East Anglia

The Julian Study Centre is a contemporary £6.9million academic building designed by Pick Everard for the University of East Anglia (UEA) opening for the first lecture on 2 December.
Set in over 300 acres of parkland, two miles from Norwich city centre, this is the latest and most environmentally advanced of the 57 buildings on campus. Behind a striking, glazed front elevation, complete with pink render, is a sustainable, four-storey, 2000m² building, designed as part of UEA’s strategic masterplan for its single-site campus.

Facilities include traditional 280-seat and 80-seat Harvard style lecture theatres, seven semi-nar rooms, a cafe and break out spaces.

Pick Everard’s architects have created a series of internal central, communal spaces that ca-ter for a constant ebb and flow of students attending lectures as well as providing informal areas for students to gather together, work in small groups, or meet one to one.
Pink featured on the exterior render is also echoed internally in vibrant highlights of pink, pur-ple and teal, used on walls, floors and furniture.

While the UEA campus has a history of low energy buildings, this is the first aiming for BREEAM ‘Excellent’ accreditation. Built by Kier using Passivhaus principles, photovoltaic panels and triple glazing have been installed, cross laminated timber wall panels incorporated into the frame, and floors divided by TermoDeck concrete, allowing for passive cooling of the building in summer and efficient heating in winter. BREEAM A-rated materials were also specified by Pick Everard for interior finishes and furniture.

Martin Lovatt, project administrator at UEA, said: “We’re delighted to be welcoming the first students in to the completed Julian Study Centre for lectures on Dec 2. The unique building was designed to meet the need for additional first class teaching and learning facilities on campus and it will be a valuable resource for students and staff.”

Paul Darlow, Eastern Region Director at Pick Everard added: “This new centre certainly holds its own against the many fine buildings on site that have won architectural awards in the past. We’re delighted to see the Centre open.”

The Julian Study Centre is named after Julian of Norwich (1342-1416) one of the first female authors in England and an important mediaeval mystic.

Pick Everard has an award-winning portfolio in educational design and construction and is currently working on further and higher education projects across the UK including the £5million Sir Isaac Newton Sixth Form in Norwich, on a Doctoral Training Centre for the Uni-versity of Glasgow and the Fletcher building at De Montfort University in Leicester.
UEA’s campus has won more than 20 architectural awards and an ongoing multi-million pound investment programme continues to enhance teaching and research facilities.