LSI Architects was appointed as the Delivery Architect alongside Kier Eastern for this new Business School at the UEA in Norwich. The concrete-framed, high thermal-mass building features state-of-the-art seminar rooms, a 360-seat lecture theatre, break-out study pods, cafeteria space, and an exhibition space in the main entrance area. The spaces have a high level of acoustic separation.

The building has a low air leakage rate and extremely high insulation levels – well above mandatory standards. Heating and cooling is provided by the campus-wide system and passed throughout the building using the TermoDeck flooring system – a low energy system. This, combined with the Building Management System, means the project surpasses the university’s own strict sustainability standards for new build projects on the campus.

The building, named the Thomas Paine Study Centre after the English and American political activist, uses SIPS panels to the rear with distinctive zinc tiles. Heating and cooling utilises the campus wide energy centre to maximise efficiency and energy security. The building was built in two phases with careful attention to detailing to ensure a seamless interface