ecoLibrary
In October 2015 St John’s Primary School officially opened its brand new “eco-building”. The radically efficient building is used as a library for the children as well as a community space for local residents.
Our fabulous new eco-building is a buzzing hub for education, fun and social activities, not just for our children but also for the local community. The facility is used by all ages, from the local nursery and toddler groups from our school community to residents from the nearby care home.
The environmentally friendly building was constructed offsite, eliminating the majority of the waste associated with traditional construction practices and the clean energy generated by the integrated solar roof will create excess energy that will be used by the rest of the school. The building is also highly insulated, keeping it cool in the summer and warm during the winter months and incorporates LED lighting and heat recovery to further reduce energy usage.
The facility was built by Net Zero Buildings Schoolhaus, which has developed numerous multi award-winning low energy education buildings.
The new building was the result of a collective effort – a dedicated working group of school representatives, governors and parents who took on the challenge of funding and managing the project at the beginning of 2014.
The project was first conceived two years ago when the PTA agreed that the children desperately needed an improved library facility due to their chronic space shortage and plans for the new eco building were approved under the school improvement plan. Raising funds for the building was no mean feat and presented a huge challenge for all involved. 50 percent was raised through external grants including The Local Infrastructure Fund (LIF) with the remainder being met by the school budget, fundraising by the PTA and a generous contribution from the Diocese.
As the only school in the area to create such a facility, we’re proud to be leading the way in reducing our carbon footprint whilst providing our children and local community with such a fantastic new resource. We would like to welcome individuals, families and local groups to visit our wonderful new eco-building – please get in touch and come along to explore!
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