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Refurbished Refectory proves a success

The Rectory at Clifton Campus was fully refurbished in 2015/16 and is now a popular place to eat and socialise.

    The Refectory, Clifton
    The new Refectory

    Since reopening its doors in January 2016, the Refectory at Clifton Campus has created a light and airy, modern and vibrant space for students, staff and visitors of Clifton Campus to eat, drink, socialise and work inside and outside.

    Located on 0.87 hectares of Clifton Campus with a gross floor area of 870 m2 all dedicated as a dining area whilst also creating an alternative area for study and collaborative working.

    The refurbishment of the dark and dated space has included new decoration, furniture, lighting and the impressive lantern roof with oak panelling that naturally lets light flood in through to the room.  Three brand new serveries have been created to include a hot food counter, a ‘grab and go’ and a deli bar.

    The external walkway referred to as the ‘Loggia’ provides the continuation with the colonnade running along the front of the Pavilion and Teaching and Learning building.  Both buildings have achieved BREEAM Excellent and together have created the ‘Heart of the Campus’.

    The basic building costs for the project was £1,454 per m2, with services costing £436 per m2 and external costs being £72.41m2.  The predicted electricity consumption of the building is reported as 351.96 kWh/m2 with predicted water consumption as 10m3/person/year.

    Sustainability has been at the forefront of this refurbishment project throughout the design, construction and post construction stages, with an overall BREEAM target score of ≥55%, to achieve a Very Good rating as part of NTU’s Carbon Reduction Strategy for the Estate.

    New infrastructure to the Refectory building has included:

    • roof structure, insulation and covering all contributing to less heat loss and increased U values
    • new windows and doors replacing single glazed, drafty windows helping to further reduce the loss of heat from the building
    • new internal fixes, finishes and furnishings
    • innovative guttering and drainage systems
    • fully insulated flooring
    • acoustic treatment to the ceiling
    • brand new services which have been fully integrated with the Building Management System and the services within the Pavilion and Teaching and Learning building
    • a new outdoor eating space
    The old refectory at Clifton campus, before renovation works
    The refectory before refurbishment

    Throughout the project, the team worked closely with NTU’s Sustainable Development Team (then known as the Environment Team) to ensure that the environmental impact of this development was kept to a minimum.  The team did this by implementing BREEAM Refurbishment 2008 (Design Stage and Post Construction Stage) as well as following NTU’s Environmental Management System (EMS) ISO14001.

    NTU is ISO14001 accredited and has been since 2012 so there are a series of environmental policies for all projects to follow including:

    • Waste Policy
    • Biodiversity Policy
    • Energy Policy

    A full list of these can be found via NTU’s Sustainability webpages.

    The project also followed NTU’s Sustainable Procurement Policy, which aims to embed sustainable purchasing within the University culture by committing to a series of actions including but not limited to:

    • Encourage NTU’s new and existing suppliers to consider the social and environmental impacts of their services and activities and address how to reduce them
    • Encourage NTU’s new and existing suppliers to consider the social and environmental impacts of their services and activities and address how to reduce them
    • Encourage suppliers to comply with national and international standards on environmental and human rights matters and encourage a partnership approach to sustainable progression

    A copy of the Sustainable Procurement Policy Statement can be found on NTU’s Sustainability webpages.