The £9.5m new school building to accommodate 600 pupils aged 10 to 14 was developed by Leicestershire County Council Children & Young People’s Services and Property Service partnered with Contractors, Willmott Dixon Construction. The school earned particular praise in a report issued by the Department for Education and Skills to show what some of the £31bn spent on education has acheived.
The report described the school as: “sympathetic to its environment” and says it “provides exciting area for learning and teaching.” It adds: “Castle Rock has a fine tradition of innovative and creative learning and teaching and the new build has helped foster this.”
It mentions the user-oriented consultation process: “The development of the new building was used as a teaching tool, with pupils shadowing teams through design and build, presenting findings to parents and governors and offering their suggestions.”
It picks out the double-width corridors for “reducing the ‘push and shove’ that can lead to arguments and bullying” and a “commitment to sustainability” with photovoltaic cells, a wind turbine and rainwater harvesting.
The project was nominated in the ‘Best Sustainable Design’ catagory for the LABC National Built in Quality Awards and won ’Large Building of the Year’ and ’Sustainable Development of the Year’ at the ProCon awards. Leicestershire County Council architects and engineers designed the school in partnership with the contractors, Willmott Dixon, and the structural and environmental consultants, Buro Happold.
The design achieved a BREEAM rating of very good. The scheme included the adoption of a green travel plan including new cycle paths and made use of rainwater harvesting, photo-voltaics and thermal mass construction. The project was registered under the Considerate Constructors Scheme.
Design features include a timber glulamframe, pre-fabricated timber wall and roof panels, natural ventilation and many sustainable elements. The building has a fully integrated BMS controlling heating and natural ventilation systems. External works include new parking, access roads, drainage and landscaping.
There is a small wind turbine and photovoltaic system, mainly for educational purposes. A system of swales and a holding pond helps alleviate flooding, and adds to biodiversity.
Willmott Dixon stresses the key benefits of early Contractor input. It says there were savings in time (programme and resource). The management system enabled a holistic view of design and construction and the integration of sustainability features.
Nigel King, managing architect at Leicestershire County Council, stresses the rainwater harvesting system with water from the rubber roofs fed to the labs and toilets. The natural ventilation managed by a Building Management System.But he says the natural light and ventilation systems are the key sustainability features.
Passivent ventilation
Eight Passivent Aircool ventilators and 12 Airscoop ventilators, ensure pupils and staff enjoy pleasant ambient conditions in the classrooms, with minimal energy consumption and without draughts and plant noise. The scheme accommodated the potentially high heat build-up generated by computers (each monitor alone generates equivalent heat output to a 60W light bulb), and kept the air in the suites fresh and at a comfortable temperature, whilst minimising energy use. The solution for the new building of library and changing room facilities was the incorporation of eight Aircools strategically positioned above the windows along the external façade.
The Passivent Aircool ventilators provide controlled fresh air intake and extract. Harnessing natural air movement patterns, fresh air is drawn in through the lower level units and across the room. The warmer internal air rises and is extracted through higher level Aircools. Using 1 watt of electricity to attenuate the ventilation louvres, the Aircool units can be adjusted to control airflow requirements taking into account the weather outside- the speed and direction of wind, rain, temperature and the location of the units within the building facade, to ensure a gentle flow of fresh air into the building without draughts. The units can be controlled individually or linked to an overall ventilation control or building management system.
According to Passivent, natural ventilation can reduce capital costs by 15%, and operating costs by 40% and significantly reduce maintenance costs, over conventional mechanical ventilation. All the exterior lighting for the scheme – the car parks, the playgrounds and on the building itself -– was supplied by Abacus. The Concept High Cone lanterns were chosen because of their low light pollution. At 0% ULOR, the flat glass luminaries are dark skies friendly and because of their Variable Beam Reflector. Minimal lighting points are required, meaning minimal light pollution and obvious energy saving benefits.
Paul Widdison, Electrical Design Manager for Leicestershire County Council, commented: “The school is in the National Forest so light pollution was a key issue. The original design intention was to install wall lights around the school. However, it was decided that as sufficient light was being emitted through the expansive glazed areas of the building, it would be more beneficial to design a stand off scheme that looks back at the school and reduces upward light as far as possible.”