Sustainable Campus

Living Lab

USB Living Lab

Newcastle University's Urban Sciences Building is the winner of a Green Gown Award 2018 for 'Campus of the Future'.

The Urban Sciences Building (USB), housing the School of Computing and the National Centre for Energy Systems Integration, is a building-as-a-lab (BaaL) or 'Living Lab'.

It utilises renewable energy and over 4000 digital sensors, the data from which is used in the Urban Observatory for research use.

The USB won a Green Gown Award for 'Campus of the Future' in 2018 for its exemplary low carbon and 'Living Lab' features. You can read more on this on the Green Gown wepages.

Impacts On Your Campus - Sustainable Campus. Urban Sciences Building, Newcastle Helix.

ViTAL Living Lab

We are collaborating with the RAF to establish a ViTAL Living Lab at the RAF Leeming base, supporting its work towards net zero by 2040.

Newcastle University's School of Engineering is partnering with the RAF to help them deliver their net zero goals in the form of a living lab.

Read more from our Press Office.

National Green Infrastructure Facility

A 'living laboratory' situated within the Urban Sciences building which aims to create more resilient and sustainable infrastructure for future generations.

The National Green Infrastructure Facility (NGIF) is a living laboratory that researches into Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDs), Green Infrastructure approaches, and more at Newcastle University. The lab is situated within the Urban Sciences Building.

More information on the NGIF can be found on their website.

NGIF Experiment bay

The OME

The OME is situated near the Devonshire building on campus and is home to the Hub for Biotechnology in the Built Environment (HBBE).

The HBBE is a joint initiative between Newcastle University and Northumbria University that has been funded by Research England. The OME is home to research that aims to explore how to create self-sustaining, regenerative, living buildings. Inside the OME is a self-contained apartment above a research lab where researchers can explore how to convert domestic waste into energy, heat and other useful materials. 

For further information about the OME, please see the HBBE website.