May 27 2022

Dundee City Council with Holmes Miller Architects has published finalised plans for a new education campus in the Drumgeith ward of the city.

East End Community Campus co-locates Braeview Academy and Craigie High School on one site at the former St Saviours High School, demolished in 2010/11. Accommodating up to 1,879 pupils the campus will make sports facilities, auditorium, community rooms, teaching spaces and informal meeting spaces available for simultaneous community use with secure access.

Standing between Drumgeith Park to the west and the planned Michelin Innovation Parc to the east the school makes use of a separate public entrance and foyer as a 'bridge' to the sports and community wing. Stepping back from Drumgeith Road to give the school room to breathe the design takes the form of a three-sided campus enclosing a central courtyard, with open aspects to sports fields to the east.

Stressing the community benefits of their design the architects said: "Key activity spaces have been placed along the Drumgeith Road frontage, to allow gym users and community space attendees to be seen from the road, and highlight the range of facilities that are available for all. This design approach will also ensure the building appears visibly accessible, even after dusk, when pupils and staff have concluded their day, but the building continues to function to serve residents and community groups."

Conforming to the Passivhaus standard the air-tight school will use air source heat pumps to power the building.  

6 Comments

#1 Posted by outraged individual on 29 May 2022 at 14:55 PM

the finish on the exterior looks nice enough, shame considering the depth of the building there aren't any courtyards or anything.

#2 Posted by Voice of reason on 30 May 2022 at 13:10 PM

#1 Its likely the lack of courtyards is down to the Passivhaus requirements as it would result in
a higher ratio of external fabric to plan area, so more potential for energy loss. Makes me think with that amount of plan area turned over to roof would it not be better making use of it as external space.

#3 Posted by Steve Cahill on 30 May 2022 at 13:40 PM

#2 With the large area given to roof space it makes an ideal design for carbon capture such as Derbigum Olivine membranes, which have a naturally occurring mineral upper layer that neutralises carbon dioxide via an irreversible chemical reaction when it comes into contact with rainfall.

#4 Posted by Gatekeeper on 30 May 2022 at 14:18 PM

The internal colour palette looks like the barf that i have to clean up after my kid runs around too much.

#5 Posted by Mark on 30 May 2022 at 15:52 PM

#1, that's an interesting point - usually it makes sense to have shallower plan buildings so that you can use natural light and natural ventilation, both of which are healthier and mean less energy use. If the volume:surface area ratio calculation in the Passivhaus spreadsheet drives deeper plans, surely that leads to more mechanical ventilation and artificial lighting ... which is counter-productive.

#6 Posted by David on 31 May 2022 at 13:39 PM

#5 Mark, the purpose of Passivhaus design is to reduce energy consumption, not increase it, therefore it is not counter productive.

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