The Centre for Sustainable Energy Technologies (CSET) at the Nottingham University campus in the Zhijiang district, China, is an aesthetically pleasing low carbon design, utilizing a five-point sustainable environmental design strategy.

The CSET building has been engineered to minimize environmental impact by promoting energy efficiency, generating its own energy from renewable sources, and using locally available materials with low embodied energy content.

The CSET building is situated in a large meadow alongside a stream that runs through the campus. The building design is inspired by Chinese lanterns and traditional wooden screens, the façade folds dramatically to create a dynamic shape. Clad with a double skin of glass with screen-printed patterns evoking historical buildings of the area, the appearance of the building changes from day to night.

The CSET building responds to diurnal and seasonal variations in ambient conditions by means of a five-point environmental design strategy which includes; a high performance envelope, exposed thermal mass, daylight and solar control, natural ventilation to the tower, piped ventilation to the laboratories and workshops.

A large rooftop opening brings natural light to all floors of the building simultaneously creating a flue effect to allow efficient natural ventilation. Geothermal energy is used to cool and heat the floor slabs. The building is designed to minimize the need for additional energy for heating, cooling and ventilation.

The focus of research at the CSET building will be new and renewable energy systems and components for both domestic (housing) and non-domestic (commercial and public) buildings.