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Uni sports centre bags green award

The University of Sunderland‘s new £12million sports and social centre has been named one of the UK’s greenest buildings - four months before it even opens.

CitySpace, the university’s new building, has been awarded an excellent rating by the British Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology (Breeam) - the gold standard for environmentally responsible buildings in the UK.

“This award has been earned by the hard work of everyone involved,” university director of estates Ian Gray said.

“Sports and social developments rarely achieve an excellent rating, as internal environmental requirements vary drastically from floor to floor, as do energy loads and fluctuating occupancy levels throughout the day and year.

“It is a tribute to the months of hard work and planning of CitySpace that it is now rightly considered one of Britain’s greenest buildings.”

CitySpace’s Excellent rating is the highest a building can score. Breeam bases its scores on management, health and wellbeing, energy, transport, water, materials and waste, land use and ecology and pollution.

The organisation particularly highlighted CitySpace’s easy access to public transport and low level of CO2 emissions.

CitySpace, which will be open to the public as well as university staff and students, will feature a six-badminton court and multi-programmable sports hall with spectator seating; fitness suite and multi-purpose fitness room; climbing wall; physiotherapy, sports massage and injuries service, and a cafe and social area.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .