Queen Margaret University's new East Lothian campus has been shortlisted for a prestigious Scottish Design Award.

Now in their 11th year The Scottish Design Awards promote creative excellence across the disciplines of graphic design, product design, interior design and architecture.

The academic building at the £105m campus project was designed by Dyer, a UK based international architecture practice, and is shortlisted in the sustainable design category.

The Queen Margaret University campus is one of the few education projects in the UK to receive an 'excellent' BREEAM rating regarded by the UK's construction and property sectors as the measure of best practice in environmental design and management.

-- Advertisement --

Laid out over 35 acres, the campus is designed around an extensive flagship building which has helped propel QMU to achieving "Top 10 Modern University" status.

Queen Margaret University Vice Principal Rosalyn Marshall said: "We are delighted to have been shortlisted for this award and are aware of the high standard of competition. Sustainability was at the centre of our brief from the outset and Dyer has succeeded in outperforming the education sector in that regard without compromising on the buildings' aesthetic qualities."

The academic building's layout is not only conducive to social learning but is highly efficient with optimum access to natural daylight. Concrete's qualities have been exploited for heating and cooling purposes. Energy consumption and heat generation have been drastically reduced through the use of 'thin client' technology and carbon emissions reduced by 75% using a biomass heating system. Rainwater is harvested in the Sustainable Urban Drainage pond which also encourages bio-diversity.

(GK/JM)