The experimental village is due for completion in 2003 and is set to include houses, apartments, a visitor centre and leisure centre. David Wilson Homes has already built an eco house on the campus, in which the university has been monitoring the use of technologies such as photovoltaic panels, light pipes, and rainwater recovery systems.
The village will be a testbed for technology developed by the homebuilding industry as well as the University's School of the Built Environment. "We are trying to get as many companies involved as possible and we are open to suggestion as to what technologies to include in the village," says Professor Riffat, head of the School of the Built Environment.
The accommodation housing students and guests will be monitored for performance, and developments will be displayed in the visitor centre. Technology currently being tested and developed by the university includes absorption/absorption heat pumps, solar/gas systems, solar/thermal systems and ground-source heat pumps.
Source
Building Homes