Case Study Video: Air Tightness Testing at the University of Nottingham's RAD Building

At Stag Communications, we’ve been lucky to work on some fascinating projects across Nottingham and the wider East Midlands. One of the most recent was at the university of Nottingham's RAD Building, where our cameras followed a crucial stage in its development—the air tightness test.

If you’re not familiar, air tightness testing is all about ensuring a building is sealed as effectively as possible. The fewer gaps, leaks, or draughts there are, the more energy-efficient the building will be. For the RAD Building, this wasn’t just a tick-box exercise. The project aimed for the very highest environmental standards, which is where BREEAM and Passivhaus come in.

BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) is the world’s longest established method of assessing, rating, and certifying the sustainability of buildings. It looks at everything from energy and water use to health, wellbeing, and ecology. Passivhaus, meanwhile, is a rigorous standard for energy efficiency, focusing on creating buildings that require little energy for heating or cooling while maintaining outstanding comfort for occupants.

Our role was to create a case study video that documented this key milestone in the RAD Building’s journey. We used timelapse and on-site filming to show exactly how the air tightness test was carried out, and to explain why it’s such a vital part of sustainable construction. The finished video helps audiences—from stakeholders to students—understand the importance of airtight design and how it fits into the bigger picture of sustainable building.

This is exactly where construction video adds real value. It doesn’t just record what’s happening on site—it tells the story, breaks down complex processes, and creates a record that can be shared, learned from, and celebrated.

The video we produced for the RAD Building brings together visuals of the test itself with expert explanations. It’s a great example of how a construction case study video can do more than just show progress; it can educate and inspire too.