Gleeds provided a range of technical advisory services on Trent View College, the UK's first Passivhaus school built with a hydrotherapy pool. The project sets a new standard in sustainable, inclusive education with its Passivhaus Classic accreditation.
Trent View College was designed to accommodate 60 post-16 pupils with a range of needs - including profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD), severe learning difficulties (SLD), speech, language, and communication needs (SLCN), and autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) - 25% of the pupils will be non-ambulant. The successful Passivhaus Classic accreditation highlights a dedication to creating an optimal learning environment.
As the Lead Technical Advisor, Gleeds on behalf of the Department for Education supported the client and end users to manage the delivery of the new facility alongside the contractor Morgan Sindall Construction. Additionally, by working closely with North Lincolnshire County Council and the Wellspring Trust, the SEN brief was meticulously defined during the early stages of the project which was so critical with successful collaboration with Passivhaus specialists to address specific design considerations necessary to achieve Passivhaus standards.
How did Gleeds help the college achieve Passivhaus standards?
Assembling an experienced team was essential to establishing viability and costs, as well as pursuing the landmark Passivhaus standard, especially given the inclusion of a hydrotherapy pool. The college was the first special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) school in the world to achieve this landmark accreditation, and at its peak, there were just over 100 people working on the project’s construction.
To stay within the framework, Gleeds prioritised the following:
- Carefully considering building orientation, form, layout, and service approach from the project's inception.
- Due to expense, minimising the cost of renewable technologies whilst seeking alternative sustainable solutions within budget. Ensuring the building’s minimal energy requirements would allow school budgets to be utilised for the facility rather than running costs.
- Considering the significant number of non-ambulant users, level access was paramount. The site's gradient necessitated levelling works, with initial designs proving prohibitively expensive due to extensive cut and fill requirements. Conducting a comprehensive value engineering exercise, the team delivered a saving of over £500,000 in abnormal costs by minimising cut and fill work.
By employing a fabric-first approach, an impressive airtightness rating of 0.5 was achieved whilst minimising reliance on renewable technologies. This accomplishment underscores a commitment to sustainable construction and energy efficiency.
This incredible facility stands as a testament to expertise in sustainable construction and a commitment to creating inclusive, high-quality educational environments for all students. It exemplifies what can be achieved through good design and quality control.
