Morgan Sindall Construction’s Northern Home Counties business held a topping out ceremony at the Buntingford First School, marking an exciting milestone for Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) and Scholars Education Trust in delivering the region and country’s first carbon neutral school.
The event included speeches from Councillor Caroline Clapper and Councillor Duncan Wallace from Hertfordshire County Council before a guided site tour for all attendees and a reception at The Bury Clubhouse.
Other guests on the day included Morgan Sindall Construction’s Northern Home Counties area director David Rowsell and Deputy CEO of Scholars’ Education Trust, Matt Gauthier.
Scheduled to open in 2023, Buntingford First School was procured through the Pagabo framework and will be one of the first net zero schools — in both embodied and operational carbon — in the UK. In line with Hertfordshire County Council’s sustainability strategy and ambition to be carbon neutral by 2030, it is set to achieve Passivhaus Plus, meaning it will improve the school’s air quality, reduce carbon emissions and lower its energy running costs.
Aligned with Morgan Sindall’s Intelligent Solutions approach, the design also utilises a cross-laminated timber (CLT) frame, meaning for every metre cubed of it, two tonnes of carbon is saved. On completion, the frame is set to be responsible for saving 1,160 tonnes of carbon, as well as reducing construction traffic by 90% and savings of 20%.
As part of the highly sustainable project, over 300 solar panels will be installed alongside triple-glazing windows and air source heat pumps.
The new school will include a rooftop outdoor classroom and numerous play areas. All the teaching spaces will face north to avoid south-facing windows that can cause rooms to over-heat. Social areas such as the dining halls and common rooms will be south facing.
The new 330-pupil school, which has ten classrooms and incorporates a nursery, will be built on a former Sainsbury’s depot site and adjoin Bury Football Club, which will share the site with the new school.
David Rowsell, Area Director for Morgan Sindall Construction in the Northern Home Counties, said: “Morgan Sindall is at the forefront of net zero construction, and we are proud to see this pioneering project taking place in our local region. Projects like Buntingford First School are incredibly rare, with very few set to become net zero in operation and embodied, as well as utilising a Passivhaus design. It will set a new standard when it comes to sustainable, high-quality design for schools around the country.
“It is great to welcome some key stakeholders from across the region to the site and celebrate this key milestone, as we work to deliver this first-class educational facility for the upcoming academic year.”
Cllr Caroline Clapper, Executive Member for Education, Libraries & Life Long Learning at Hertfordshire County Council, commented: “This is such an exciting time for Hertfordshire and Buntingford First School aligns with our sustainability agenda and further demonstrates our commitment to net zero carbon. This will be the gold standard for school building going forward.”
Matt Gauthier, Deputy Chief Executive Officer at Scholars’ Education Trust, said: “We were delighted to be selected to run this magnificent school and I’m so excited to be here and to have seen its evolution from day one. Right now, this is just a building and what will bring it to life is having children inside, making this a first-class educational facility.”
In May, Morgan Sindall Construction held a topping out ceremony to mark an important point in the development of Milton Keynes University Hospital’s (MKUH) new radiotherapy centre. More on that story here.
