2/27/13
PM inaugurates IT Services at UoM | di-ve - Malta's news, lifestyle & classified
Wednesday, 27th February 2013
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PM inaugurates IT Services at UoM
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Article By: di-ve.com news
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Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi this morning inaugurated the IT Services building at the University
of Malta.
Dr Gonzi said that the Government is currently in talks with the Chinese government in a bid to
attract Chinese students to come to Malta to further their studies. He claimed that a number of
investors have praised the University graduates and that the PN have constantly invested in
education.
Following the inauguration of the IT Services Building, the Prime Minister was also shown around a
section of the building of the Faculty of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) which is
now nearing completion. This ERDF 017 Project which costs 17 million Euro is part-financed by the
European Union under the European Regional Development Fund Programme 2007-2013, with a
Co-financing rate of 85% EU Funds, 15% National Funds.
The building consists of a concrete substructure with a steel framed upper structure. The exterior
envelope predominantly consists of a specially engineered façade which is filled with an inert gas
and treated to minimise solar heat gains whilst not compromising the light transmission into the
rooms.
The building has no open-able windows however is climate controlled through an advanced
Building Management System (BMS). The internal climatic conditions, such as temperature,
introduction of fresh air and extraction will all be managed by an automated system. Heat recovery
units have also been installed in key areas so that the fresh air being introduced inside the
building is pre conditioned by the extracted air, resulting in increased overall efficiency. The rooms
shall be furnished with presence detectors in order to switch off lights and air conditioning systems
automatically if the room is vacated. The underground parking will be monitored and automatically
ventilated. It is envisaged that this centralised climate control system, together with the use of the
most advanced outer façade materials, will significantly reduce the energy demands of this building
thus helping minimise the environmental impact that the addition of another building on campus
will have.
In general, the air-conditioning units are of the VRF type with inverter driven compressors in order
to optimise running efficiency under partial load conditions.
Although the building houses its own dedicated electricity sub-station to ensure a stable supply of
power, it is also equipped with a standby generator for emergency power provision and shall be
suitable to run the essential loads.
Another feature of the building is its own rain water harvesting. Even in case of water supply
interruption, the building can rely on its own voluminous subterranean water reservoir. This water
reservoir shall be used to provide second class water in flushings, provide water for irrigation
purposes as well as for fire fighting systems.
The type of light fittings shall vary depending on the application and location, but in general they
shall all provide a high lumen output per watt and are therefore energy efficient.
The building is furnished with a PV array on the roof which shall serve the dual purposes of
providing shading to the roof, thereby decreasing the fabric heat gain and also generate power for
direct use by the building.
The structure itself is a four-floor edifice offering approximately 6700 sq m of floor space in total,
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2/27/13
PM inaugurates IT Services at UoM | di-ve - Malta's news, lifestyle & classified
configured as two blocks connected via a central multi-storey entrance, lobby, stairwell, and lift
area, with a ramp-accessed underground level 80+ car park.
Attention was given to the overall skyline of the University’s Msida Campus. The sloped landscape
surrounding the building minimised the visual impact on the surrounding university buildings. The
various areas in the new building will include teaching labs, research rooms, tutorial rooms,
undergraduate study areas, post-graduate rooms, research labs, and more.
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