South Bank launches energy centre

The UK’s first centre of excellence in low carbon technologies for buildings is set to open at London South Bank University (LSBU).

The Centre for Efficient and Renewable Energy in Buildings (CEREB), set to open on the Southwark campus in 2009, will be a unique resource for teaching, research and demonstration of low carbon energy technologies in the built environment.

The Centre is the result of a partnership between LSBU, City and Kingston Universities, who all jointly lead in training and researching the built environment. A funding grant of just under £2 million was received from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and a further £878 500 from the London Development Agency (LDA).

M&E Sustainability is also providing financial support and ECA and HVCA members will be involved in some of the technical aspects of the project. Members will also have access to the facilities and learning materials once the centre is up and running.

CEREB will be at the forefront of low carbon building design and will be able to provide high quality teaching resources in sustainable energy technology, building design, construction and management. It is being specifically designed as a walk through demonstration facility at roof level on LSBU’s new Keyworth II building. There will be facilities available to conduct research and to demonstrate sustainable energy technologies.

The centre will provide a fantastic showcase for low carbon energy technologies including photovoltaics, solar thermal, geothermal and wind power.

Dr Mike Wilkinson, pro vice chancellor at LSBU says: "LSBU is delighted to have been chosen as the site for this important initiative. The University has long been at the centre of the efficient use of energy and of renewables in the built environment. This Centre will help LSBU and its partners make an even more substantial contribution in this field. Located as we are at the heart of a global city at the forefront of construction techniques and sustainability, we are best placed to interact on these issues with a wide range of stakeholders".

Sandra Godoy, programme director for the School of Engineering at City University said: “City University views this co-operation as highly dynamic and beneficial to the already very successful MSc Programme in Energy and Environmental Technology and Economics will make use of the CEREB centre for demonstration purposes. The University will also benefit from using the Centre for Undergraduate Engineering Teaching and Research Projects.”

These new facilities will be available to students, researchers, academics and the professionals in the built environment sector. It will also be available to those who would like to use the facilities for research and manufacturer demonstrations.

To ensure that the centre reaches a wider audience, output data from the technologies will also be available through web-based virtual learning environments through a CEREB web portal.

Keyworth II is set to become the heart of the LSBU Southwark campus. The £45m building project, created by Grimshaw Architects, is in response to the increasing size of the student population at LSBU. The state of the art building energy management system will enable students and researchers to study the building and its energy use. Its design includes features to reduce carbon emissions including thermal massing, solar shading, ground source heating and cooling and solar thermal. It will also play host to teaching facilities for the Faculty of Health and Social Care and departments of Education, Sports and Exercise Science.