The Passivhaus building

The pioneering Passivhaus

scheme, conceived by
Carmarthenshire County
Council and designed in
collaboration with Architype,
forms the newly named Burry
Port Community Primary
School which brings together
the
town’s once separate infant
and junior schools on one key
site. The design embraces
innovation and reflects the
school
and the council’s ongoing
commitment to sustainability.
The project is one of the most
recent to complete under the
extensive 21st Century Schools programme; a Government
funded agenda, set to change the face of education in Wales
before 2018.
Comprising three principle
buildings, the £3.8m project
is a
mix of refurbishment and
new build. The original
1980’s infant
school has been rationalised
and renovated and a number
of
environmental defects
solved as part of efforts to
modernise
the existing building. The
refurbishment has created
four
large, secure, open-plan classrooms for the younger years and
a 30-place nursery, incorporating multi-use space for teaching
and messy play, breakout space and access to a contained and
covered outdoor area from each classroom.
The new build aspects of the scheme are a triumph of innovation and sustainability, not to
mention a showcase for Welsh timber, from which the buildings are predominantly constructed.
The Key Stage 2 block, designed to achieve Passivhaus certifcation, accommodates years 3-6 in
four new, light and airy, south-facing double-height classrooms.
The Passivhaus building, currently awaiting accreditation, will support the school in operation,
keeping the school’s energy consumption low throughout the seasons. The fabric frst approach
makes the building envelope do the hard work in moderating internal temperatures and, in turn,
will radically reduce utility bills – between 60 and 90% a year compared to like-for-like
accommodation built to UK Building Regulations. Besides the economic benefts of the scheme,
which will allow the school greater flexibility with annual budgets, the Passivhaus credentials
have shown to be considerably advantageous in the wellbeing of pupils and staff.
Teacher training college,
Jyvaskyla
Competition 1950. Construction
1953 – 1956
The buildings are grouped in a U-
formation around an esplanade.
There are pedagogical institutions, a
library, a practice school, sports
facilities and an indoor swimming
pool, dormitories, staff cubs and a
students’ association hall.
To indicate its significance the main
entrance to the college is situated on
the axis of the main avenue. Each
building has two entrances: one from
the car park and the street, the other
from the esplanade, which is
exclusively pedestrian.
Site plan: to the right, at the bottom, the main building with entrance from the street; to the left
dormitory and refectory; to the left, above, gymnasium and swimming pool; to the right, above,
library and classrooms.
1. East façade
2. View from the west