Our second building for St Benedict’s School, the New Ark junior school building, provides classrooms and space for the Nursery which was previously off-site. This extremely low energy use building is constructed of modern structural cross-laminated timber panels, chosen both for their ability to be fabricated off-site and minimise disruption to the working School, and for their airtightness performance which will contribute to achieving Passivhaus certification. Constructing to Passivhaus standards is an innovative solution that ensures minimal energy demands and running costs and excellent fresh air quality at all times to keep pupils and staff alert. There are currently only a handful of schools in the UK built to this standard, making the New Ark an innovative educational building.
‘The opening of our new junior school is another very exciting landmark in St Benedict’s history. Not only will it provide a perfect learning environment for our youngest pupils, it is also very eco-friendly – essential in the face of London’s urgent pollution problem.’Headmaster of St Benedict’s, Andrew Johnson
