Denholm Primary: A Sustainable School

1. Denholm Primary: A Sustainable School SUMMARY Following a catastrophic fire at the Denholm Primary School in April 2008, Scottish Borders Council commissioned a new building designed, procured and supervised by the Council’s in-house architectural team, with external consultants for QS, structures, services & CDM-C duties. A whole building approach to environmental design was pursued and with grant assistance from the SCHRI Programme, a ground source heating system was installed. This approach created many learning opportunities for pupils who experienced at first hand the benefits of sustainable design. It also enabled post-occupancy energy consumption analysis of the installations to be undertaken. Project Objectives The previous school had oil heating as there is no gas in the village and this restricted the options for the new building, hence the decision to pursue a ground source system. In addition to the sustainable heating system, a green roof has been installed over the community wing, rain water is being harvested for re-use in toilets and also for the sprinkler system and a partial sustainable urban drainage system (SUDS) has been installed. Additional grant funding from the LCBP(2) Programme enabled solar Photo Voltaic panels to be installed as well. Many of the sustainable approaches were aspirations of the project architect; however the Client and the teachers and parents were extremely responsive and encouraging towards this approach. So much so that questions about which sustainable technologies were being incorporated into the new school were always high on the agenda at meetings. How We Did It Once the decision to pursue a ground source system had been agreed further efforts were made to make the remainder of the project as sustainable as possible and to minimise its energy demands. The two month design period was extremely short which limited the available options and the opportunities for wider engagement with pupils; however a BREEAM Schools 2006 Pre-assessment Estimator was completed and this identified an overall score just below the “Excellent” category. The collaborative approach of the staff, parent group, client, Building Services Officer and the Design Team, led by the Architect, was fundamental to the success of the project. Enthusiasm grew as the construction progressed with the pupils being involved in the discussions and conducting an interview with the architect for the school magazine, with the sole topic being green issues. KEY CONTACTS Ray Cherry – Senior Architect Email: rcherry@scotborders.gov.uk Phone: 0300 100 1800 www.scottishborders.gov.uk SUDS basins and wildlife area The site plan What We Learned Some of the technologies used were new to Scottish Borders Council so there was a steep learning curve for all involved; this was the first of the authority’s buildings to have a ground source heating system. Staff and pupils developed a hands-on understanding of sustainable design that continues to be a teaching tool. The analysis of the building’s energy consumption has shown the benefits of the design decisions taken, as well as identifying areas for further improvement. This analysis compared energy consumption of the new building with those of the previous one and other recent schools built by the authority. Next Steps This project has been used as part of the Council’s evidence base for a Scrutiny Committee investigation into energy use in SBC buildings which concluded in its written report the need to develop a formal process of energy analysis for future building projects. This analysis will consider energy requirements at the design stage and also once the building is completed to ascertain the success of individual solutions. Two further primary schools have been designed for Scottish Borders Council since Denholm Primary School was completed and these have both adopted ground source heating systems. The amphitheatre – recreational area