Fife College progresses in journey towards first net zero tertiary education building in Scotland

Fife College says that the Scottish Government has agreed that it can progress to the next stage of its project to deliver Scotland's first net zero tertiary education building.

Having submitted the business case for the new Dunfermline campus in August, the government has agreed to invest up to £100 million in providing a low carbon, modern, flexible learning space for students.

Within that funding, additional money has been made available to make sure that the project goes beyond net zero targets and doesn't just offset carbon dioxide emissions, but continues to deliver reductions in operational carbon after its completion.

The build is part of the wider 58-acre Dunfermline Learning Campus site in the eastern expansion area of the town.

It's hoped that Fife College's Dunfermline Campus, St Columba’s RC High School and Woodmill High School will come together to to a purpose-built new site, with a scheduled opening to take place in the summer of 2024.

The campus will host the college's delivery of built environment, business enterprise and tourism, care, creative industries, science and sports and aims to reflect a collaborative approach to learning, with an emphasis on engagement with business and innovation.

It aims to create an innovative learning campus that provides a streamlined pathway for students from school through to further and higher education, as well as providing state of the art facilities to meet the learning and training needs of businesses and the wider community.

Low embodied carbon construction materials is being specified for the project and will include materials with high recycled content.

Waste is going to be minimised through the design process, with a strong focus on diverting as much of the construction waste from landfill as possible.

These steps aim to help deliver the Scottish Government's target for transforming buildings and the systems that supply their heat to make sure that a transition to net zero emissions by 2045 is made.

That is in line with the Climate Change Act 2019.

Dr Hugh Hall, Principal of Fife College, said: "We're incredibly ambitious about what we want to achieve with this new campus.

"Not only do we want it to provide world-class facilities for our students, but we want the building itself to reflect the latest developments in low carbon construction.

"That's why we've worked with the Scottish Government to go beyond net zero and ensure that our new campus has a long-term positive effect on emissions.

"The extra funding we've received will enable us to achieve our environmental ambitions, and to deliver the first tertiary education building in the UK that meets these standards.

"The approval of our business case is a significant milestone in the project to deliver the new Dunfermline Learning Campus, and we're eager to get started."

Karen Watt, Chief Executive of the Scottish Funding Council, said: "We are delighted to support the plans for the new Fife College on the Dunfermline Learning Campus.

"They are ambitious and ground-breaking, designed to enhance the experience of students and to meet stretching environmental performance standards as we move to becoming a net zero nation.

"We will be working closely with all partners to bring this ambition to life."