Colmonnell Primary School

Colmonell Primary School is designed to cater for 50 primary age children in two composite classes and a nursery class of 10 children. The teaching spaces are supported by a main dining and sports hall, a central open area with library and a variety of staff spaces.

The layout of the building was aimed at providing a secure lively environment for the children with varied interior and exterior  spaces to enhance the teaching experience of an extended curriculum.

The client’s aspiration was for a highly sustainable school which seeks to minimise energy use, create a healthy indoor environment, minimise surface water discharge and promote biodiversity. The completed building is constructed of natural materials with SIPS panels with recycled newspaper insulation, softwood windows Scottish Larch cladding, cork and rubber flooring with natural fibre carpets all capped by a  turf roof.
The building section allows natural ventilation throughout with automatic CO2 and temperatures operation and high levels of daylighting for the internal spaces.

The classrooms open out to carefully defined outdoor classrooms, water butts and planting areas for the children