WORK has been completed on the University of Nottingham's state-of-the-art School of Humanities building – one of the most environmentally sustainable buildings in the region.

Notts firms Clegg Construction and architects CPMG worked together to complete the landmark BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) "excellent"-rated building on the University Park Campus after CPMG and engineering consultants Arup won a design competition for the new school.

The School of Humanities is part of the university's £90 million new-build programme, which will transform the campus landscape and set new standards for university teaching and learning facilities.

Sustainability is at the forefront of the design and build with several techniques used to provide low energy solutions.

The building's environmental features forms part of the university's wider commitment to reducing its energy and CO2 emissions.

The three-storey, concrete-framed school houses teaching facilities and offices for academics and postgraduate students.

It features terracotta and zinc cladding and curtain wall glazing.

Clegg Construction's managing director, Simon Blackburn, said: "The University of Nottingham is now established as a global force and its commitment to setting international standards shines through in the School of Humanities.

"It is a dramatic design in every sense and we feel privileged to have been involved.

"Not only is the building one of the most environmentally sustainable in the area and BREEAM rated, but with its landscaping and water features, it is a great place to work and study.

"The structure has been designed for maximum energy efficiency.

"A system of ground-source heat pumps and 100-metre bore holes will keep the building cool in summer and warm in winter – and its many windows allow natural light to flood in."

The £5.4 million project took 12 months to complete and includes extensive landscaping with plaza walkways and water features.

Hugh Avison, group director at CPMG, said: "We were delighted to win the design competition, as our concept offered an innovative and efficient solution, which will provide an exciting contemporary facility in which to learn and work, as well as being a strong architectural statement.

"We have worked closely with the university and with Arup, the engineering consultants, to deliver on these principles. The building's success is underscored by a BREEAM Excellent rating, which reflects the quality of the internal environment and the building's low-energy credentials."

Stephen Mumford, dean of the arts faculty at the university, said: "Our new building is the realisation of a dream. For the first time, the school has a central hub around which staff and students gather.

"This allows all sorts of interactions to take place: the sort that are the lifeblood of academic life.

"The building is the biggest thing that has happened to the school since its formation."

The School of Humanities is the latest in a series of projects Clegg has carried out for the university. Previous projects include the £4.5 million Geospatial Building on the university's Innovation Park, close to the Jubilee Campus.

Clegg is also on site with the new £6.5 million Energy Technologies Building at Innovation Park in Nottingham.