Green light for Manchester’s most energy efficient school

Manchester’s most energy efficient school celebrates its official opening this week.

Park View Community School in Miles Platting is the city's greenest school and the 16th most energy efficient school in the country.

The £7.4m east Manchester school opened this September and boasts a range of impressive low carbon and high efficiency benefits.

It is Manchester's first school to receive an 'A' rating in the energy performance stakes meaning its energy efficiency, running costs and environmental impact are the best they can possibly be.

The school is a leading example of low carbon design and produces 53% less CO2 emissions than a standard school building - the equivalent of 22.5 tonnes, which is equal to boiling water for 1.5 million cups of tea or taking 6,370 cars off the road per year.

Innovative low energy ideas at the school include using the heat generated from the school computers to heat the building's hot water, renewable air source heat pumps that produce a minimum of 70% heat recovery, high efficiency motion sensor lighting, solar controlled glazing and a green ivy wall.
Air quality sensors control the classroom ventilation systems ensuring they only operate when the room is in use. The ventilation is linked to a heat recovery system that contains the heat within the building while also providing 100% fresh air at all times, which in turn has been proven to improve learning and concentration.
 
Pupils themselves suggested a range of energy saving solutions including solar panels, rainwater harvesting and dual flush cisterns.

Headteacher, John Tennant, says: "Our pupils are very energy conscious and really enjoyed being part of the design process which included coming up with energy efficient ideas. To know that we've got the most energy efficient school in the city, as well as one of the most energy efficient in the country, is really amazing. We feel extremely lucky."

The new school has a 360 place two-form entry and a 120 place foundation unit on a campus that also has a Sure Start Centre that opened in 2008.
 
The two storey building on the corner of Holland Street and Varley Street has an amphitheatre for outside dining and activities, an activity area with a traversing wall as well as a terrace overlooking the canal that provides not only a place for staff to relax, but also a resource for external teaching of up to 15 pupils.

Many of the school's facilities are available for community use including a sports hall, an all weather football pitch and a multi-use games area.

As well as energy saving ideas, pupils also contributed other suggestions for the design of their school, many of which were incorporated into the finished building including interesting and challenging outdoor climbing frames, space to sit and talk to friends in the playground, an all weather playground, a vegetable garden, a place for parents to meet other parents, an atrium to let in lots of natural light, colourful fencing and the school emblem displayed on the outside of the building.

They also suggested ideas around the layout of classrooms, the ICT suite, landscaping, sustainability and even travel to and from school.

Manchester City Council's Executive Member for Children's Service, Councillor Sheila Newman, says: "Park View School is a core part of the regeneration of east Manchester and Miles Platting in particular. Quality school buildings with a welcoming environment for both pupils and the community, as well as a strong teaching and learning ethos not only encourages existing residents to stay in the area, but make a significant contribution to making new neighbourhoods of choice."
 
A large-scale regeneration scheme is currently underway in Miles Platting which includes the refurbishment of more than 1,500 council homes with improvements including new kitchens, bathrooms and central heating systems, new external doors and windows and external improvement work.
 
Building work is also starting on more than 1,000 family houses and apartments for sale in Miles Platting. A community hub with local amenities including shops is also planned.
 
Councillor Nigel Murphy, Manchester City Council's Executive Member for the Environment, adds: "Park View is an excellent example of how environmental innovations can be put to use in an everyday building. We're encouraging schools and young people across the city to take a role in our ambitious plans for reducing Manchester's carbon emissions, and pupils and staff from Park View should be proud that their school is one of the greenest in the country."

Manchester's work at making its schools more green and sustainable is part of a wider climate change action plan for the whole city entitled Manchester: A Certain Future - Our Collective Action On Climate Change.
 
This was launched at the end of last year and sets out actions across five key areas: Living, Working, Moving, Growing and Adapting, to help reduce the city's carbon emissions by 41% by 2020.
 
The low energy measures at the school were designed by Manchester based BCM, a company that specializes in low energy solutions for new buildings.

The architect on the project was Ellis Williams and the contractor was Bramall Construction Ltd.

The project was procured via Framework One 09, Manchester's strategic construction partnering framework.