Towards Sustainable Schools

Best Practice

Wind turbine Buffer zone / PV roof Wind turbine

Buffer zone / PV roof Biomass boiler located in bsement

Biomass boiler Woodchip storage

Woodchip delivery

Westborough Primary School DCSF Zero Carbon exemplar refurbishment project

Over the past 16 years Cottrell and Vermeulen Architectures working relationship with Westborough Primary School has provided the opportunity to explore and test new ideas and ways of working. As a consequence we have been able to create projects of local and international standing that have influenced Government policy, pushed the boundaries of sustainable design, and created an exemplar of collaborative approach to development. In 1992 Cottrell and Vermeulen were appointed by the Governors to provide a five year Maintenance Plan, Estate Strategy and Master plan for this Edwardian School, which suffered from a typically fragmented and piecemeal set of buildings and spaces. The need for repair and refurbishment provided an opportunity to bring the built environment in line with the vision of the school and create a school appropriate to the needs of its community.

Proposed wall for foundation storage

Proposed access through building connects external circulation

Games court rotated and pushed to allow for more space in foundation zone.

Outside area for foundation stage, potential for development

Outside area for SEN

Proposed circulation canopy cuts through building to connect with existing circulation paths. Improves connection with foundation zone.

Cardboard School

Nursery

Nursery

18 Conversion into creative space

11

12

PHASE 2
10 13

PHASE 2 PHASE 1

4. Foundation stage PHASE 1

14

corridor through 7 8 2 6 16 conversion into library com'ity/ family Head meet'g room wc 15 conversion into SEN girls' ch'g room permanent servery flexible space: Hall / Dining / Club / Sports Community hire kitchen biomass wc

PPA

wc wc wc biomass st'ge

4 biomass

17 conversion into library 5

boys' ch'g room ass. head admin. mirror room Rec. lobby wc

Zone boundary Phase 1 Phase 1B

1. KS1 & KS2

Main reception/waiting area Proposed internal circulation Proposed external circulation Classrooms Additional classrooms Library Break-out spaces SEN Adapted reception & waitng area for parents & visitors

2. Entrance

3. School hall / community

Entrance area enlarged to accommodate public entrance. Ramps built out onto street edge.

Buffer zone insulates facade Hall opens up onto buffer zone / canopy and games court

Best Practice

This Master plan provided the basis for a series of building programmes and research projects encompassing everything from the improvement of dining facilities and accessibility of the site to the construction of the internationally renowned Cardboard Building awarded the RIBA Journal Sustainability Prize in 2002. The school recently received the award for Sustainable Schools within the East of England at the DfES 2007 teaching awards. Westborough is about to embark on a zero carbon development, which is part of a research project into sustainable schools lead by Balfour Beatty Construction. It will be a case study for reducing carbon in an existing school environment. To support this, Buro Happolds Alternative Technology and Sustainability Unit are developing strategies for reducing their carbon footprint. In formulating the best approach to the refurbishment Cottrell + Vermeulen has made careful assessments of the efficiencies of the existing fabric in order to work out how to work with the existing resources and minimise disruption. After seven years work with Westborough it has become evident that the Edwardian model of a school no longer directly reflects the schools contemporary educational ethos. However, much of the built space works well within the functioning of a modern primary school. Phase 1 is planned to provide a more appropriate entrance and school hall and community facilities and can be used a temporary decant space for the refurbishment of the educational spaces in phase 2. Phase 1 also plans to transform the schools efficiency by upgrading the existing fabric and providing renewable energy sources. Phase 2 will complete the refurbishment and is focused around a Lean, Mean and Green methodology. Lean: Reducing the buildings energy demand by improving the passive energy performance of the following building elements/constructions: thermal performance of the building fabric; air tightness of the building; utilisation of daylight; rationalisation of the building footprint. Mean: Manage supply and demand more efficiently by utilising efficient technologies and energy management practises to improve the performance of the following systems installations: heating; lighting; hot water; IT/small power; sub metering and energy management. Green: Utilisation of renewable/low carbon energy sources to provide the low carbon generation of: heat; hot water; electricity.