Northern Ireland to get world's first educational ‘passive house premium’ building

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Construction of the 8,200 square metre building is scheduled to begin in March 2018 and will provide employment for over 200 people.

Tracey Brothers Ltd. has been appointed as the main contractor for the construction and development of the new Erne Campus. The £24.6m campus will have a capacity for 7,000 pupils annually.

The building, which is due to be completed in January 2020, will further enhance the college’s existing global reputation in the sustainable construction sector.

The college’s passive house-certified Centre for Renewable Energy and Sustainable Technologies (Crest) in Enniskillen was completed in 2014.

Passive house premium is a new standard developed by the Passive House Institute that certifies passive buildings that also generate a substantial excess of renewable energy.

Beverley Harrison, director of further education at Northern Ireland’s Department for the Economy, said: The Department welcomes this significant announcement for South West College and for the Fermanagh area.

This new campus demonstrates the Department's continuing commitment to further education and to delivering the skills needed to grow the local economy.

As well as the immediate boost to the local construction sector, the new building will showcase the potential role which further education can play in supporting and developing the local economy and marketing Northern Ireland on a world stage.