At the heart of the regeneration of Somers Town, this light-filled, low-energy school provides pupils with a state-of-the-art learning environment.

Edith Neville Primary School is a new community hub that includes a primary school, nursery, family centre and parent drop-in centre. Working alongside Hayhurst and Co, we provided M&E Engineering, Acoustics and Sustainability consultancy for the project.

To meet the client’s requirement of a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating, we took a fabric-first, passive approach. The building envelope has been insulated to the highest standard, while carefully designed facades maximise natural daylighting and ventilation.

To adapt to both summer and winter conditions, the school is equipped with various flexible ventilation openings to improve thermal comfort. Heating and hot water demand is designed to be met through a connection to an existing district heating network, while the photovoltaic array on the school’s rooftop generates 15,718kWh/year of electricity.

The acoustic environment of both inside and outside spaces has been carefully considered and is controlled by using a bespoke slatted plywood acoustic ceiling. The acoustic design maintains low noise levels both from traffic noise sources and plant equipment to enrich pupils’ health and well-being.

These sustainability measures have successfully reduced the school's energy consumption and carbon footprint: its as-designed annual energy consumption is 40kWh/m2, and its CO2 emissions rate 7.9kgCO2/m2/year - 35% better than the 2013 Building Regulations targets.