Cardinal Newman College - St Catherines Building - Thompson Building Services Engineers

Cardinal Newman College

St Catherine’s Building

Design & Build Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing Installation

Thompsons successfully delivered the comprehensive Mechanical and Electrical engineering design and installation for a new three-storey teaching facility at Cardinal Newman College.

The project was a full Design and Build scheme, where we developed the initial conceptual design in close collaboration with the client and stakeholders.

Project Overview

The building includes a variety of specialist creative and media teaching environments including Green Screen TV Studio with Control Booth and Photography Studio

A low-energy, passive design approach guided the design and installation strategy, developed to align with Energy Use Intensity (EUI) targets for energy-efficient buildings.

Client: Cardinal Newman College
Principal Contractor: J Greenwood Ltd
Project: Three-storey new-build teaching block with specialist facilities
Project Duration: 8 months
Scope: Full Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing Engineering Design and Build
Energy Counsel – Energy Use Intensity Target Compliance

Key Deliverables

- Installation of new switchgear and distribution boards, housed in a dedicated electrical plant room.
- All distribution boards (DBs) equipped with integral energy meters for real-time monitoring.
- Power and lighting circuits installed throughout teaching, specialist, and circulation areas.
- New intelligent lighting system featuring:
  - Dimming
  - Presence and absence detection
  - Self-testing emergency lighting
- New fire alarm system integrated with existing campus infrastructure.
- Data cabinet linked to the college’s mainframe to support digital learning.
- Security systems including:
  - Intruder alarm
  - PAC2-based door access controls
  - Disabled refuge systems on each floor
- Installation of a 49.92kWp Solar PV System on the flat roof, generating approximately 42,471 kWh annually.
Mechanical and Plumbing Services
- Building-wide underfloor heating, powered by energy-efficient Air Source Heat Pumps (ASHP).
- Cooling provided through split air conditioning units.
- Ventilation achieved via a mix of Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) and hybrid MVHR systems.
- Formation of a dedicated ASHP compound with four Mitsubishi CAHV units.
- Complete fit out of Internal mechanical plant room.
- Advanced BEMS (Building Energy Management System) for comprehensive control of mechanical systems aligned with the building cooling and heating strategy to ensure energy efficiency and alignment of all systems

Outcome

All works were delivered by our in-house teams, meeting every milestone and completion deadline. The project demonstrates our capability to deliver high-performance, sustainable MEP solutions for complex educational environments.

Energy Use Intensity

Energy Use Intensity (EUI) is a metric that measures how much energy a building uses per unit of floor area, typically expressed as energy per square meter per year (e.g., kWh/m²/year). It’s a key indicator of a building’s energy efficiency and is crucial for tracking and reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions. A lower EUI generally signifies better energy performance.

- Energy consumption:
  
  EUI quantifies the total energy used by a building over a specific period, usually one year.

Building size:

It’s normalized by the building’s floor area, providing a standardized comparison between different buildings.

Energy efficiency:

A lower EUI indicates that a building uses less energy per unit area, signifying better energy efficiency.

Why it’s important:

Tracking energy performance:

EUI helps track how energy consumption changes over time, allowing for better understanding of energy usage patterns.

Comparing buildings:

It enables comparison of energy efficiency between different buildings, regardless of their size or use.

Reducing carbon emissions:

By minimizing energy consumption, EUI contributes to reducing a building’s carbon footprint and aligns with sustainability goals.

Driving efficiency improvements:

Understanding EUI can help identify areas where energy use can be reduced, leading to more efficient building operations.