Bellarine Learning Centre.

Photography: Third Ecology Architects

Status: Completed 2008

Accommodation:

One learning environment which can be divided into two: commercial kitchen, office space and amenities.

The Bellarine Secondary College Applied Learning Centre has become a leading edge school facility that features a high level of sustainability in relation to energy, water, materials and waste management. The facility has enhanced student and staff productivity, performance and health by providing a superior level of thermal comfort, natural day lighting and indoor air quality.

The ultimate aim was to create a building that would integrate into the educational curriculum to facilitate a better understanding and link between sustainability as teaching concepts and environmental building.

ENERGY

> Maximise the passive solar design and energy efficiency of the building envelope to reduce reliance on fossil fuel based heating systems by over 90%

> Maximise natural cross flow ventilation and energy efficiency to avoid the need for refrigerative or evaporative cooling systems. Any supplementary cooling/ heat purging is provided by exhaust fans

> Maximise the use of 'glare free' natural daylight to reduce reliance on artificial lighting by over 80%

> Utilise solar hot water to provide 70%- 80% of hot water

> High efficiency lighting system with automatic daylight sensors and dimmers

Water efficiency - fixtures, fittings and taps.

> Rainwater to supply toilets, dishwasher and other non-potable uses to reduce mains water reliance by up to 90%

> Waste water treated to a quality suitable for reuse for landscape and vineyard watering purposes

MATERIALS

> Selected for minimising environmental footprint (e.g. reclaimed on FSC timbers)

> Low toxicity finishes for floors, walls, ceilings and joinery to create a healthy indoor air quality environment

Metering and monitoring

> Water metering to identify water consumption for the facility

> Energy metering and monitoring to better understand energy consumption patterns and how occupant behaviour effects and might further reduce energy use

> A fully featured weather station to allow for the recording and analysis of ambient indoor and outdoor conditions, wind speed and direction and rainfall