Work on the new Welshpool school started in July 2018 but came to a halt in March 2019 (week 27 of a 52 week build) when the main contractor, Dawnus went into administration. We were appointed to finish the 360-pupil Welshpool Church in Wales Primary School, which was built as part of the Welsh Government’s and Powys County Council’s 21st Century Schools programme.
The Welshpool Church in Wales Primary School is the first Passivhaus school in Powys. It delivers excellent energy efficiency, ultra-low embodied carbon and inspiring spaces for learning that enhance health and wellbeing for students and staff.
Innovative construction methods were used in this project, the timber frame walls and floor were prefabricated at a local factory and brought to site as cassettes. This saved time and also meant less timber was wasted. The embodied carbon emissions from the building are minimised, with low carbon natural materials including timber construction and cellulose (recycled newspaper) insulation. As well as the timber frame, the school is clad in timber and has a timber roof.
Local firms and suppliers were found to help support the local economy – Lowfield Timber Frames (responsible for the wall and roof supply) is just eight miles from the site and insulation in the walls and roof was provided by PYC who are a Welshpool-based company less than a mile from the school.We are very proud that this project won the Value Award at the Constructing Excellence Wales Awards 2023 and was also shortlisted for the Sustainability Award too. The Constructing Excellence in Wales awards are recognised across the Welsh built environment as the biggest and brightest celebration of best practice in Wales.
