Woodham Academy
As part of the Galliford Try team, Desco provided the MEP services design for the new Woodham Academy School in Durham.
The new build £39m secondary school was procured through the Department for Education’s School Rebuilding Programme and provides 1,200 places for students and includes a sports block with a 4-lane swimming pool, a sports hall with 4 courts, a fitness studio and playing fields. The local community are also able to use the facilities in the sports block out of school hours.
As part of the project’s sustainability brief, the scheme aimed to achieve NZCiO (Net Zero Carbon in Operation) upon completion, while reporting on Embodied Carbon in Construction and to create a healthy and productive whole school setting in response to the UK’s 25-year Environment Plan, including biodiversity net gain.
The development utilises air source heat pumps (ASHP), photovoltaic (PV) panels, EV charging points and green roofs to help reduce carbon emissions.
The primary aim was to provide a state-of-the-art, pleasant learning environment for the students and staff of the school, while maintaining sustainability and providing an environmentally conscious development.
The new buildings have several design features, including enhanced building U Values and air tightness, low energy MEP systems and strategies, LED lighting throughout with energy saving automatic controls, Building Energy Management System (BeMS), electric semi-instantaneous point of use domestic hot water heating, mixed mode ventilation with heat recovery and cross vent and Heat Pump Technology providing heating to the school.
Gas is only required for teaching purposes in the new building and pool heating systems and a BioSolar roof offsets carbon and energy use.
Project
Woodham Academy
Location
Durham, County Durham
Value
£39m