Two of the UK’s first three schools to receive the stringent Passivhaus certification are designed by Architype, previous Ashden award winners for their high standards of sustainable building design. Passivhaus is a green building system based on dramatically reducing the requirement for space heating and cooling, whilst creating excellent indoor comfort levels. The approach was developed in Germany in the early 1990s.

The two schools, Bushbury Hills Primary School and Oakmeadow Primary School are in Wolverhampton and were commissioned by the City Council. Architype designed the buildings using timber construction, and focused on delivering Passivhaus within a standard budget.

The achievement is a huge one for Architype. Jonathan Hines, Director of Architype commented:

“We are delighted to have achieved Passivhaus Certification, and hope that we have helped to move the UK building industry forward by delivering the first Passivhaus schools at no extra cost. But for us the most important thing is that the children love their new building, and the staff tell us the children are staying more alert and concentrating better, due to the comfort and quality of the internal environment with its constant supply of fresh air.”

(image: Architype's offices in Hereforshire)