A Swansea Secondary School has been given the thumbs-up for its green credentials in a national building awards scheme.
The main block of Penyrheol Comprehensive School was rebuilt by Swansea Council after a devastating arson attack and it reopened at the start of this academic year.
Swansea Council’s Education and Corporate Building Services Team led the efforts to rebuild the block which was designed by architects Stride Treglown Davies and built by contractors Carillion.
Now the eye-catching new school has scored a Very Good rating in the BREEAM (BRE Environmental Assessment Method) assessment of its environmental performance.
The assessment team looked at qualities such as energy efficiency, the use of recycled materials, sustainable transport and water-saving measures.
Geraint Flowers, Project Manager with Swansea Council, said: “We’re delighted to have achieved this high rating from BREEAM which sets the standard for best practice in sustainable design.
“After the fire, the immediate challenge was to organise a temporary block to enable the school community to remain together before we started work on the replacement. As we were rebuilding on an existing site we were faced with greater challenges to meet high environmental standards so we are delighted to have reached the Very Good standard.
“The main measure of success for us is that pupils and staff have settled in so happily after a challenging period in the school’s history.”
Building work on the new school block began in April 2008 and it was opened in time for the first week of this school year last September. It features high-tech facilities, cutting-edge design and classrooms bathed in natural light.
