Britain's 'greenest school' opens for business » Environment » 24dash.com

Plymouth is leading the way by opening one of the most innovatively designed and sustainable schools in Britain.

Staff and pupils from Hillside Special School will be moving to Brook Green Centre for Learning, which has been designed on their existing site using the latest available sustainable building principles and materials.

To mark the occasion, students will be planting a bulb, to signify not just the green aspect of the school, but to encourage them to make a lifelong connection with the new centre.

The £5.5m building uses natural light, solar power, rainfall and water heated by the earth to cut electricity bills. Features include:

• Passive design strategies to minimise the impact on the environment
• Super thermally insulated building using recycled insulation
• Air tight construction to minimise draughts and heat loss from the building
• Triple glazing and the school positioned to reduce energy loss and make the most of natural daylight throughout the building
  Locally sourced and natural materials
• Passive natural ventilation - positioning windows, vents and passive stacks for free air flow without the need for energy-iintensive fans or air conditioning
• Ground source heat pump with boreholes to extract naturally-generated heat from the earth to heat the school and its hot water system
• Low temperature under-floor heating to distribute heat evenly, efficiently and comfortably
• Renewable solar thermal energy to supply over 80 per cent hot water
• Thermal mass ground floor and timber frame first floor with green oak cladding from sustainable forests
• Collected rainwater from the building's roof to flush the toilets
• Organic paints and stains
• Health building design including avoiding toxic chemicals contained in some materials, easily cleanable surfaces  to reduce dust mite infestations
• Recycled materials such as tough matting made of recycled tyres at the entrance and recycled newspaper for insulation.

Head teacher Cliff Edwards said: Not only do we believe we are the greenest school in the country, but we are not aware of one that has been so specifically designed around children with complex special educational, social and behavioural needs.

Both staff and students were asked for their ideas on how they want their school to be. As well as a wide and welcoming ‘internal street’, there are plenty of windows, so outside play can be supervised at all times. The natural light and appropriate temperatures will enhance the learning of our students."

There are ‘zoned’ areas which can be easily secured if necessary and quiet rooms. Detail such as separate toilets and lockers built in the walls reduce potential for problems such as bullying as the areas are now easier to supervise, he said.

Chair of Governors Mike Thomas said: "I think it is wonderful. It is the result of three years hard work and the design is superb, particularly as the new school now has such as small carbon footprint. It is so nice to see another superb new school in Plymouth."

Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, Councillor Grant Monahan said: "This is an incredible school in an amazing setting. It is pioneering in so many ways and has caught the imagination of pupils, their families as well as architects and environmentalists.

"Midas Construction, part of the Midas Group, was the main contractor for the project. Divisional Manager for Midas, Richard Ellis, said: We are delighted to continue our close working relationship with Plymouth City Council and Mace in providing this new exemplar school for the students, staff and the local community and to have been involved with such an innovative and thoroughly rewarding project."

The school and landscaping was designed by Gale and Snowden Architects to the Carbon Trust’s ‘best practice in environmental design’ which aims to create a comfortable and healthy place using the minimum energy and resources.

Special attention has also been paid to the grounds, with space for practical learning in science, food technology and drama in the natural environment. A grassy amphitheatre has been created as well as a pond, wildlife areas, woodland and pupils will be able to grow vegetables on allotments.

Cliff added: "Outdoors is crucial to us. Not only is it calming and tranquil, but the long term plan is to encourage young people to learn skills that they will take with them when they leave.”

David Gale, director of Gale and Snowden Architects, which specialises in low environmental impact design, said: "Gale and Snowden Architects are proud to be the architects for this prestigious Plymouth school that will have national significance, setting new standards both in contemporary school design and in the fight to reduce the impact of human activity causing global climate change.

"This exemplar new school will use a fraction of the energy, water and other resources compared with current schools and will provide a healthy and positive leaning environment for all users.

"The time has come when we need all schools to be truly environmentally friendly and to be able to nurture a generation that will have the understanding and wisdom to work with nature rather than against it."

Mace Group Ltd managed the design and construction process on behalf of the Council. "Careful selection and management of the contracting team together with the excellent client relationships built during the development of the new school has been the key to the success of this project," said David Penn, Mace Project Manager.

"Brook Green Centre for Learning was a unique and challenging scheme for Mace. The elegant integrated design solution is a result of rigorous and intelligent employment of low energy passive design strategies combined with addressing the complex special educational and social requirements of the school. The building has also been designed to be both healthy for the occupants and for the environment."