SusCon, a sustainable construction training and research centre in Dartford, was awarded a BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ rating with a score of 89.58% following a BREEAM Education 2008 assessment on completion. As of March 2011 this was the highest BREEAM score ever achieved for an education building. SusCon, which was completed in March 2011 and designed by Stephen George & Partners LLP for a public/private partnership led by Dartford Borough Council, ProLogis and North West Kent College, has been built at The Bridge site in Dartford. The building was designed as a learning tool and the centre’s cross-disciplinary curriculum reflects this innovative approach. While the SusCon building provides an exemplar education building that has been delivered as the result of a public/private partnership, the pioneering curriculum is also the result of a successful collaboration between North West Kent College and the construction industry. As a result, SusCon offers accredited courses for both building trades and professions - as well as for members of the local community. The selection of materials was driven by the aspirations of the brief to reduce embodied energy and to respect the local vernacular. Building materials were specified taking into consideration toxicity, recycled or renewable content, long lifespan and their environmental impact over and above the BRE requirements for ‘A’ rating. Materials were also sourced as locally as possible. Timber construction, both in terms of structural frame and cladding, was widely employed. Elements of local natural stone walling and lime render were also specified. Timber/aluminium composite windows and curtain walling were specified, despite having a lower BRE rating than, for example, PVC windows, because of the low toxicity, longevity, high content of renewable resource and good thermal performance. Insulation was specified where possible from renewable or recycled resources; natural stone from the nearest quarry to site; lime render and plaster used where appropriate and the concrete used supplemented with flyash, reducing the CO2 emissions usually associated with the material. All concrete elements are exposed to reduce the need for finishes and to make the building and its structure understandable to the students. All potential materials and elements were examined for environmental impact via investigation of several sources of information. As well as the BRE’s Green Guide to Specification, the University of Bath’s Inventory of Carbon and Embodied Energy (ICE) was consulted to ascertain both the embodied carbon and embodied energy of materials considered for the project. However, in addition to these assessments, the amount of the material used, its initial transportation, ease of construction, toxicity and end-of-life options were all taken into account in terms of environmental impact. Embodied energy was not the final arbiter of our decision making in this respect as this may not give a true picture of environmental impact with regard to toxicity for example.