Hever Church of England Aided Primary School in Kent is set to benefit from a new, intelligent, low-carbon school building, which is now officially open.
The new 166m2 double classroom block is a Schoolhaus®, designed and built by Net Zero Buildings.
It includes exceptional insulation and concrete foundations to minimise energy consumption. As an intelligent electric building, the Schoolhaus® also uses a state-of-the-art heating system that minimises the amount of energy required to heat the building.
Schoolhaus® are constructed off-site, meaning that the components of the building were designed and manufactured at Net Zero Buildings’ facility in Newmarket, Suffolk, before being assembled on-site.
Modular design buildings such as Schoolhaus® can be constructed much more rapidly than traditional builds – usually 25% quicker, but in some cases, up to 50% quicker. This means that Hever’s Schoolhaus® was built in just seven weeks – including its foundations – and was completed ahead of schedule.
Neil Smith, Chief Executive Officer at Net Zero Buildings, said:
“This has been an excellent project and we’re incredibly proud of the finished building. The rapid assembly meant that we could keep disruption to teaching, school life, and the local community to a minimum.
“While it had a short assembly time, we’re sure it won’t have a short lifespan. The building has a 60-year design life, meaning that it will provide lasting benefits for current pupils as well generations to come.”
Tom Tugendhat, Member of Parliament for Tonbridge and Malling and the school’s constituency MP, was in attendance at the opening. He said:
“It was a huge privilege to open the new classrooms at Hever Primary School this morning and see again what staff, parents, governors and most of all children are doing to build a community and grow the roots that make confident, capable young people. There’s nothing like opening new schools to realise the importance of community.”
Joanna Stratton, Headteacher for Hever Church of England Primary School, said:
“It has been a pleasure to work with Net Zero Buildings. They have been professional, timely, efficient and communicated well through every step of the process. It was amazing that the building was completed a week early! In every meeting we had with the team they shared the same love and passion for the project as we did here at the school. Our journey together has been perfect.”