Students from the University's Dance Society are already making good use of the newly renovated space.
Swansea University is proud to announce the re-opening of its popular venue, Fusion, one of the first in the UK to undergo an eco-conscious transformation as part of a new Santander initiative.
The space, which will now act as a student-facing performance space operated by Swansea University Students' Union, has been redecorated with the bank's own "greener streets" paint range.
Developed with ecological paint expert Graphenstone UK, the paint absorbs CO2 in the first 30 days after application as it dries and cures, partially offsetting manufacturing and distribution emissions.
The eco-friendly refurbishment also included the installation of energy-saving lightbulbs, draft excluders and radiator reflectors.
The renovation highlights the University's commitment to environmental sustainability and green innovation, which is more important than ever, as demonstrated by recent research from Santander UK, which found 70% of homeowning Brits find it overwhelming when it comes to making eco-improvements1.
To show how easy it can be, Santander has taken to the streets in areas where retrofitting awareness is lowest, such as Swansea2, to carry out simple eco-upgrades on a range of community buildings, including Swansea University.
On the impact this new space will have on students, Ronnie Kowalska, Swansea University Students' Union Societies and Services Officer, said: "Fusion is back better than ever as a freshly renovated, eco-friendly performance space fitted with a stage, lights, the works!
"This amazing transformation not only provides a fantastic space for our students but also supports our commitment to our Sustainable Action Plan.
"Using sustainable supplies, we have reduced the makeover's environmental impact and ensured carbon offsetting measures are in place for our events. We've achieved Excellent Standard in the NUS Green Impact Awards for three years in a row for a reason!"
This fantastic project shows how small actions can lead to significant change, and both the University and Santander hope it empowers institutions, communities and individuals to make a similar difference in their environmental impact, one step at a time.
Brad Fordham, Head of Mortgages at Santander UK, said: "It's clear that while homeowners understand the need to make changes to their property, the retrofitting conversation and the task at hand has felt too vast for them to know how they can get involved.
"With an increasing desire from homeowners to understand and act on their property's energy efficiency, we want to encourage, educate and inspire the nation to consider small eco-improvements as their first step towards making a difference in the impact their home has on the environment. And save some money in the long run as an added bonus."
Find out more about Sustainability at Swansea University.
1. Research commissioned by Santander, conducted by 3GEM, surveying 2,000 homeowners in the UK aged 18+ between 28th July - 02nd August.
2. The top ten UK cities that are least aware of retrofitting:
- Swansea (48%)
- Reading (45%)
- Bristol (41%)
- Liverpool (40%)
- Glasgow (39%)
- Southampton (39%)
- Brighton (38%)
- Norwich (37%)
- Edinburgh (37%)
- Leeds (37%)