Wednesfield Technology Primary School

Project details:

The project is one of a number of Passivhaus pilot studies being run by the DfE to assess the compatibility of Passivhaus with the DfE Construction Framework Output Specification. It was is also our first project directly funded by the DfE. We are proud to have been selected by Tilbury Douglas for this role. We were subsequently appointed by Dodd Group to work with them on developing the designs. The school will be run by the Shireland Collegiate Academy Trust.

The design is for timber frame construction with an insulated ground floor slab. We have been working very closely with timber frame contractor Innovaré on the design detailing for airtightness and thermal bridging. A particular feature of this design is the approach to ventilation and achieving summer-comfort, which involves mechanical night ventilation combined with window opening and minimal external shading. We worked closely with the thermal modellers to develop a workable controls strategy and calculate the additional power requirements to the satisfaction of the Passivhaus Certifier.

Being a technology school, the building has significantly higher ICT demands than a typical primary school. We have therefore worked with the Passivhaus Certifier and the Trust to quantify the additional energy requirements and if necessary, we will obtain special dispensation to exceed the typical Passivhaus PER limit.

The project received planning permission in September 2022.