You are here: Home > About us > College information > Sustainability

Sustainability

Our new accommodation strategy isn't simply about putting up new buildings.  From the outset, we've been committed to excellence in design and to respecting the environment - using architectural ingenuity to create new buildings from old and using environmentally friendly materials.

As far as possible, our new Centres exploit the use of natural light and ventilation, reducing energy costs, while creating a more environmentally friendly ambience for students, staff and visitors. Key features are solar shading, natural stack ventilation and automated building management systems. The new Centres incorporate open spaces that complement the architectural design and offer areas for relaxation and recreation.

“Both of our projects for City and Islington College represent current best practice in sustainable design: breathing new life into tired old buildings by radical means, rather than demolishing them, and contrasting them with quality, modern low-energy design.  The dynamic tension between old and new creates an exciting variety of spaces, which will support the delivery of modern teaching practices in the College.”

(Stafford Critchlow, Director at Wilkinson Eyre Architects, who designed the Centres for Lifelong Learning at Finsbury Park and Business, Arts and Technology at Camden Road.)

We are acutely conscious of the adverse impact of vehicles in inner London and to this end we have introduced a Parking Policy and Green Travel Plan. Parking at any of our centres is permitted only for essential car users, including people with disabilities, and there are a number of initiatives to support staff with travel to work.

Now that the major work on buildings is complete, we're undertaking a review of all our operations and services, as the first step in a College-wide sustainability strategy.

Regeneration

Since 1993 all of the College's sites in Tower Hamlets and Hackney, together with some sites in Islington have been sold for residential use. A notable exception is Bunhill Row, which now houses an impressive new Business Centre for City University.

At the Annette Road and Shepperton Road sites, Victorian tarmac playgrounds, created by flattening Georgian terraces, have been replaced with new homes and communal gardens. The existing Victorian buildings have been retained and converted to flats.

Plans for the Benwell Road site preserve and enhance the existing building, which is of historical interest, and add two new residential developments. The Montem Road site was sold to Islington Springboard as a training centre for young people.