August 21 2024

High school pupils in Dunfermline are sizing up their new surroundings after settling into what has been billed as the largest Passivhaus education building in the UK.

The new Woodmill & St Columba’s RC High School has been designed by AHR architects as a joint campus where both schools remain operationally distinct thanks to their sheer scale. Sprawling over 26,666sq/m the learning hub is home to 2,700 pupils and 246 staff.

Built to Passivhaus standards the school has been built with natural light, ventilation and air tightness at its core, putting it on track to achieve Passivhaus Classic certification later this year.

Jamie Gregory, Passivhaus designer and project architect, AHR said: “Although Passivhaus is a fundamental and an integral part of the design approach to the new school, design quality was always at the forefront of any decisions made. In order to the achieve Passivhaus standard on a building this scale, it was essential that we were guided by Passivhaus principles from the outset.”

Part of the Dunfermline Learning Campus the school is situated alongside Fife College and includes publically accessible sports facilities, a community kitchen and performance space among other features.

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