University of Brighton
The University of Brighton has recently completed a second set of premises for its Hastings Campus with the creation of the £7.5 million Priory Square scheme. The development sees the renovation and extension of the 1930s Post Office building in Hastings’ Priory Quarter and is a significant milestone for higher education in the area.
Designed by the architects Proctor Matthews, the building is part of a regeneration campaign in Hastings town centre which is aimed at forging strong links with the local community and attracting more inward business investment to the South Coast town. The project received funding from the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA), and the University of Brighton – supported by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE).
The new, six-floor, 3,770m2 university building is an impressive, twenty-first century learning environment which more than doubles the capacity of the current university building. It houses a number of subjects including a particular focus on Science, as well as Applied Social Science, Broadcast Journalism, Computing, English Literature, and Nursing.
Glass façades are found on two of the building’s four elevations and this presented the key challenge for building service engineers, Michael Popper Associates, of preventing unwanted cold draughts through the glazing and stopping condensation forming. Their solution was the Jaga Mini Canal trench heating system, fitted directly in front of the glazing. Completely unobtrusive yet offering a powerful heat output, the runs of Mini Canal trenches ensure that the building’s occupants are comfortable at all times.
According to Nick Walker, of Michael Popper Associates: “It was an easy decision to make. The Mini Canal is energy-efficient, and provides well-distributed heat for an excellent room temperature without blocking vision through the glass panels.”
Using Jaga’s low mass, low water content Low-H2O heat exchangers, the Mini Canal saves energy costs while remaining ultra-responsive to temperature changes. As part of Jaga’s consultative, practical, problem-solving approach, all trenches for this project were delivered fully assembled and pre-tested, ready to fit for improved quality and reduced installation costs.
