The new library at Queen’s University, Belfast, was among the examples of the economic revival of Belfast, Northern Ireland, according to an article which appeared today in Architecture Week.
With design techniques that exceed code requirements, the 190,000 s.f. project is expected to meet the stringent standards of the UK’s Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM).
Instead of a mechanical system, its natural ventilation system will reduce energy costs by fifty percent. The library’s sustainable elements also include automatically operated windows, atria, roof venting, and a night cooling strategy that utilizes exposed concrete structural slabs. Ground source heat pumps, with a raised floor system, efficiently deliver low temperature heat.
http://www.ArchitectureWeek.com/2007/0314/building_1-1.html
