Letterston VC Primary School
Project Description
The project is to deliver a new school to accommodate in the region of 180 pupils aged 3 to 11 on the site of the existing Ysgol Ger y Llan at Letterston.
Ysgol Ger y Llan is a popular Voluntary Controlled Primary School for 3 to 11 year olds in Letterston, Haverfordwest, with Ms. Elin Evans as the Head Teacher and 122 pupils. The school is transitional where Welsh is the language used in the day to day business of the school and a high priority is given to creating Welsh ethos. The school communicates with parents in both languages. The finished facility, which will amalgamate two local schools and is expected to be completed in July 2012, will house pupils from Ysgol Ger y Llan and Mathry School following an education re-shuffle. The school will also provide community facilities. The school also has very strong links to its local community and to the Fishguard family of schools.
BREEAM Rating & Score
The new building achieves a BREEAM rating of Excellent with a score of 74.47%
Design Features & Sustainability
The building has been designed with a high emphasis on health and well being. The acoustic performance of the building aims to exceed the performance standards required by Building Bulletin 93 for indoor ambient noise levels and reverberation times. Point of use water coolers are used to provide drinking water for building occupants use throughout the day. At least 80% of the floor area in each occupied space will receive adequate day light and have an adequate view out. Controlled shading systems to include internal and external blinds are provided. High frequency ballasts are installed on all fluorescent and compact fluorescent lamps and internal and external lighting is in accordance with the appropriate maintained luminance levels (in lux) recommended by CIBSE. Fresh air is capable of being delivered to the occupied spaces of the building via a natural ventilation strategy and there is sufficient user control of the supply of fresh air. Thermal comfort levels in occupied spaces of the building were assessed at the design stage to ensure appropriate thermal comfort levels are achieved. A reduction in CO2 emissions is achieved by improvement in the energy efficiency of the building's fabric and services. Direct sub-metering of energy use is provided and all external lighting is carefully specified and controlled by the presence of daylight. A feasibility study to consider local low or zero carbon technologies was carried out and implemented. A suitably qualified ecologist to advise on enhancing and protecting the ecological value of the site has been appointed and we have been able to provide evidence of a positive increase in the ecological value of the site. There is no negative change in the site's existing ecological value as a result of the development. From early design stage we consulted with staff and pupils to determine their educational and social needs for the school grounds and we have set up partnerships with local groups including the local wildlife trust.
Costs
Below is a summary of the basic cost information for the project
| Element | Cost £/m2 |
| Total Building | 1342.06 |
| M&E Services | 437.50 |
| External Works (inc. Drainage & External Services) | 529.04 |
Functions & Areas
The total site area is 1.5 hectares and includes building, parking and access, recreation areas and soft landscaping.
| Element | Area m2 |
| Teaching spaces – classrooms etc | 509 |
| Administration – offices etc | 36.4 |
| Social – common room | 156 |
| Toilet facilities | 102.17 |
| Storage | 194.75 |
| Circulation | 225 |
| Plant room | 108 |
| Total Building | 1600 |
Predicted Energy Consumption
The following figures for predicted energy consumption are approximate, and based on available user information: Predicted Electricity Consumption = 13.6 kWh / m2 Predicted Fossil Fuel Consumption = 40.78 kWh / m2 Predicted Renewable Fuel Consumption = 3.5 kWh / m2 Predicted water use in m3 per person per year = 4 % predicted water provided by grey water = 0%
Construction Management Techniques to Reduce Environmental Impacts
Measures implemented during construction to reduce environmental impacts included:
- Segregation of site waste, into general and recyclable waste with further segregation of recyclable waste into different skips to aid material recovery and prevent unnecessary waste going to landfill
- Water butt collecting rainwater for cleaning of site tools.
- Recycled timber used for temporary framing and mortar spot boards. All temporary and construction site timber will be responsibly sourced and carry full certification to provide audit trail.
- Tree protection zone for existing trees and hedge maintained throughout the construction
- Recycled aggregates used for Sub Base works
Sustainable Measures Achieved
The following sustainable measures will be implemented as part of this development:
- Dedicated areas will be provided with raised planters for pupils to create and manage organic planting.
- Natural habitat areas, including a wildflower meadow area, bird nesting boxes and feeder stations and bat roosting boxes will be located around the site to improve biodiversity.
- A rainwater butt is being provided for watering of the garden areas.
- The majority of hot water needs will be provided by solar thermal collectors on the roof.
Construction Progress Photos
June 2011:
