Arts University Bournemouth

We are working with Arts University Bournemouth (AUB) on a new 8,000 sqm academic building. The project forms part of the University’s 5-year masterplan to expand onto a plot south of the campus which will accommodate an increase in student numbers. AUB are committed to carbon neutrality across the campus and this project aims to be net-zero in both embodied and operational energy.

The 8,000 sqm academic building will be constructed in phases. Each phase will create a proportion of social, teaching and ancillary spaces. The four-storey building is configured with smaller, functional spaces to the north including seminar rooms, meeting spaces and service zones, while the larger teaching spaces face south to take advantage of carefully configured winter solar gains. A top-lit central atrium running the length of the building is key to the natural ventilation strategy and provides a series of break-out and independent study bridges for students and staff. A ground floor café will spill out into a landscaped south-facing courtyard designed to improve biodiversity and offer external social areas.

A gallery link which intersects the building through the ground floor, serves not only as a sculptural piece, but also as a way for students to showcase their artwork. Materiality and form differentiate it from the academic building, rendering it a focal point of the design. The link will serve as a through-route to the existing campus, encouraging students to walk through the gallery regularly and interact with their peers’ art daily.

The design approach has largely been driven by the project’s net-zero requirement. The north-south orientation facilitates solar control while parametric  design has been used to optimise daylighting, heat loss and solar gain. The compact form factor, renewable energy, air tightness and insulation are all a consequence of extensive testing and modelling. The building’s structure and materials have been selected on the basis of their low embodied carbon content and the ability to re-use or re-cycle. A steel frame with CLT floor planks will form the primary structure while the building is clad in locally quarried Portland Stone.