Wales’ First Minister, Carwyn Jones, will attend the formal opening of the UK’s greenest school – Rogiet Primary School, Monmouthsire this week. The school was named the UK’s best sustainable school building at the BREEAM (Building Research Environmental Assessment Method) Awards 2010.
It has also been short listed for a Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors Award for Sustainability. A plaque commemorating the opening will be unveiled by pupils, who will conclude the ceremony with a balloon launch.
The school’s environmental credentials include:
- Insulation – The building’s thermal performance is 20% better than the current Building Regulations requirements. The insulation that keeps the school warm in winter and cool in summer is made from recycled newspapers.
- Renewable Energy – The school has a wind turbine that will contribute an estimated 18% of its electricity needs. With the right conditions, the turbine would generate enough electricity to cover the entire peak lighting demand of the school. The wind speed and power generation of the turbine will be monitored.
- Timber – The entire school is made from sustainable sourced timber. Some of the external cladding is cedar. This is untreated so that few environmentally unfriendly preservatives are used in the building.
- Rainwater harvesting – Rainwater is collected from the sloping roof, via the rain water pipes. This is then stored in a grey water tank used to flush lavatories. This reduces the usage of water from other sources helping to reduce water consumption overall.
- An intelligent building – The building is controlled by a Building Management System (BMS). This technology senses the temperature and Carbon Dioxide levels in classrooms. It can then activate either the underfloor heating if required, or open/close windows to allow for more/less natural ventilation. The windows open automatically by very small amounts to let in the correct amount of natural ventilation, whilst still controlling the noise coming in from outside. This creates the best possible learning/teaching environment in terms of temperature, fresh air and acoustics.
- The building as a teaching tool – Children, teachers, parents and community facility users are able to learn about sustainability from using the building itself. A clear rainwater pipe located in the library allows everyone to see rainwater actually being collected, for the flushing of lavatories. A section of clear Perspex in the wall also reveals the Warmcell recycled paper insulation reminding everyone what is keeping them warm or cool depending on seasons.
A spokesperson said:
“We are very proud of this school. Many of the eco credentials can be used as educational tools such as the water collection device. Before the school was built many of the children expressed a wish to see their new school have a green element this has been fulfilled beyond all expectations.”
The new school was built on the site of the original school’s playing fields. It has seven classrooms, outdoor teaching areas, a new playground and sports ground. It has its own orchard with apple, plum and cherry trees and the produce will be used in the school kitchen.
The project team and BREEAM Assessor worked together from the earliest stages of the project, to ensure that the design and project processes were in place to gain the most sustainable outcomes.
Rogiet Primary School opened in November 2009. It was designed by White Design and built by Willmott Dixon Construction Ltd for Monmouthshire County Council. It has capacity for 210 pupils and is one of a number of new schools that Monmouthshire County Council has constructed in partnership with Willmott Dixon. This partnership was acknowledged at the recent UK finals of the Constructing Excellence awards, at which we won the Integration and Collaborative Working category.
