Exemplar Sustainable Building Awards: Large project finalist: Enterprise Centre

Large Projects finalist in the 2025 Exemplar Sustainable Building Awards. A beacon of sustainable excellence, The Enterprise Centre at the University of East Anglia in Norwich continues to inspire the next generation of sustainable design. Since its completion in 2015, a decade on it stands as a flagship of low carbon construction and one of the UK’s most celebrated green buildings.

This trailblazing facility combines Passivhaus performance with natural materials, local craftsmanship, and a whole-life carbon approach that has set new benchmarks across the built environment. Combining Passivhaus Classic performance with BREEAM Outstanding certification, it was designed not only to push boundaries at the time, but to remain exemplary long into the future. Backed by robust post-occupancy evaluation and monitoring data, the building continues to outperform expectations, more than 30% below current UK NZCBS energy and upfront carbon limits. Ten years on, the building maintains outstanding thermal comfort and occupant satisfaction, and its energy performance is still within 2% of predicted energy use, proving the enduring power of Passivhaus standards.

The Enterprise Centre is also a celebration of local identity and material innovation. It was constructed using bio-based materials sourced largely within a 30-mile radius. Its pre-fabricated timber frame and cassette-based thatch façade set a new precedent for carbon-conscious commercial buildings. Going beyond carbon, what sets the Centre apart is its focus to deliver occupant wellbeing. Daylight-filled workspaces, natural finishes, and a connection to heritage and ecology make this not just a low-energy building, but a place people gravitate toward.