Progress at St Mary’s Catholic Voluntary Academy in Derby – England’s first purpose built Biophilic Primary School
Simon Butler, Managing Director Building Central at Tilbury Douglas, shares an update on the excellent progress at St Mary’s Catholic Voluntary (CV) Academy in Derby.
“St Mary’s CV Academy in Derby is making excellent progress on site with construction, thanks to a fast-track programme that is being enabled by Modern Methods of Construction (MMC).
The site was selected by the Department for Education (DfE) in 2021 as a pilot scheme, following a devastating arson attack that destroyed the previous school.
The new school will embrace key Construction Playbook themes, being net-zero carbon in operation, low embodied carbon and an MMC exemplar, including a fully embraced digital strategy. Designed by HawkinsBrown architects, the school uses biophilic design principles, developed specifically for schools, to promote a strong connection with the natural environment.
The site at Darley Abbey is a fantastic setting for the biophilic school. Slightly sloping, the site is surrounded by mature trees of varying species. As part of the landscape strategy, the site will also be planted with 96 new trees, many of which will be semi-mature to help the school become quickly embedded in the biophilic landscape. Additional landscape features include rain gardens, season bulb planting and meadow grasses.
Moving away from the typical single building accommodation arrangement, St Marys CV Academy is distinctive in plan. Comprising of five single storey buildings, linked by a large covered central walkway, the plan promotes high levels of natural light and access to the surrounding landscape.
Currently, all five buildings are now erected on site, with four already watertight. The most advanced building is the entrance block, which is currently being clad with beautiful cedar, while others are being insulated and in the coming weeks, painters and decorators will begin their work, using a colour scheme based on the natural environment.
The speed at which the project is moving is chiefly down to the Innovare Structural Insulated Panel (SIP) system; an interlocking, load bearing system that is manufactured off site and guarantees performance in terms of thermal insulation, fire safety and acoustics. The floor and ceiling SIPs strategy will not only support the school in its low embodied carbon aspirations, but will also make maintenance easier moving forwards, omitting suspended ceilings and cavity MEP.
Tilbury Douglas’s Project Manager, Neil Holland, remarked on the progress:
“I have previously delivered six school projects for the DfE – this is the first time I have used a SIPs system, and it’s been a real gamechanger. The project is moving at considerable pace and the quality that is being delivered is excellent and complementary to our Tilbury Douglas ‘Right-First-Time’ approach.”
As part of this project, the team visited the Velfac factory in Poland, where the triple glazed, timber frame windows for this project are being sourced. This carbon-conscious company adopt a cradle-grave life-cycle approach, using environmentally friendly materials and finishes, alongside efficient processes that concentrate on minimal waste and recycling offcuts.
Embracing nature
Onsite, the multi-use games area and trim-trail are emerging from the sloping landscape at the rear of the site. Steps of gabion walls situated here will have a joint function as both a structural barrier and an open-air amphitheatre for the pupils to host productions and use for outdoor learning.
Learning from and in nature is an important theme for this Academy and will be supported through the built environment. For example, each classroom will feature doors to courtyards, increasing access to the outside. The natural landscape hopes to capture the imagination of pupils, aiding their exploration of their natural surroundings, boosting creativity and reducing stress.
In this digital age, St Ralph Sherwin Academy Trust is keen to reconnect pupils with the natural world and promote learning in the landscape. This aims to work on a number of sensory levels, be it managing risk though play and adventure, or appreciating the dependencies of flora and fauna through biodiversity and horticulture.
As a Catholic school, faith areas such as a chapel and memorial garden will work harmoniously with the forest school and biophilic principles in a holistic design that unites nature, education and spirituality.
Walking around the site with Project Manager Neil Holland and Site Manager Andrew Frettingham was an opportunity to see first-hand some of the interesting material specifications being applied, including woodwool acoustic panels, external cedar cladding and the polished concrete floors, which will be a durable finish that requires less maintenance and is easier to clean for the school moving forwards.
Considering the buildings embodied lifecycle has been an important part of the design and preconstruction of this special project, alongside the operational energy strategy, devised by Cundall, which will deliver Net Zero Carbon in use. The roofs of the five blocks are currently being prepared for either PV or wildflower green roof installations that will contribute to the school’s energy loads; albeit the core of the energy strategy is to reduce the need for heat and light in the first instance.
Community engagement
Alongside the build programme, Tilbury Douglas Social Value Manager, Charlotte Davies, is running a complete social value plan in association with the project and stakeholders. Amongst local spend, some of the highlights have included several apprenticeship opportunities; work placements from University of Derby, T-Level placements, as well as summer placements for local young people interested in construction careers.
The project will open at the end of October 2023, in line with pupils returning from Autumn half term, with landscaping works completed after the school has opened to align with planting seasons.”