HLM-designed Wembley school achieves BREEAM Excellent

The new Preston Manor Primary School on Carlton Avenue East, Wembley, HA9, has received a BREEAM Excellent rating. The £6 million school, designed by HLM, opened in September 2011.

The high BREEAM rating recognises the 420-pupil school's high level of sustainability. The sustainability strategy includes extensive use of passive measures, such as passive ventilation, maximising natural light and excellent insulation values. The school also has solar panels and an extensive green roof, while modern methods of construction further enhanced the project's green credentials.

Created by the Building Research Establishment Group, BREEAM is the world's foremost environmental assessment method and rating system for buildings. There are 200,000 buildings with certified BREEAM assessment ratings and over a million registered for assessment since the system was first launched in 1990.

Preston Manor was built under a £12 million programme to significantly expand capacity for pupils in the London Borough of Brent. HLM was the programme's architect, designing two school expansion projects as well as the new-build Preston Manor Primary School.

All three projects were delivered simultaneously in 12 months. Alongside new provision at Preston Manor Primary School, the programme saw Newfield Primary School expanded from 1FE (30 pupil places per year) to 2FE (60 pupil places per year) and Brentfield Primary from 2FE to 3FE (60 to 90 places).

Paul Turpin, head of UK education at HLM, said: "This project is an example of what can be achieved in a tight timescale and shows that excellent environmental sustainability need not suffer during a fast-track process. By looking at the project holistically, we were able to build in energy efficiency at the concept stage, during construction and over the life of the building. The BREEAM rating we have achieved recognises the value of this approach."

Categories: Awards
Tags: Architecture