Buntingford First School

Client Hertfordshire County Council

Main Contractor Morgan Sindall

Sector Education

Services Electrical Design & Build

Programme 20 weeks

Location Buntingford, Hertfordshire

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Buntingford First School is the first newly built net zero carbon school in Hertfordshire that offers 330 places and 10 classrooms for students aged 5 to 11. The school will support the families within the 1,500 properties that are currently being developed in Buntingford.

Pentalec successfully delivered electrical and decarbonisation services for this Design and Build contract on our first project with Morgan Sindall as the principal contractor. The project has successfully delivered the first net zero carbon school in England, both in embodied and operational carbon.

The school was designed to Passivhaus standards to reduce emission intensity, improve air quality, and lower energy costs in line with Council’s sustainability strategy.

The project achieved first place in the Climate Action category of the Herts & Beds Constructing Excellence Club 2024 Awards, which included meeting several requirements for entry. This award demonstrates our commitment to sustainable operations and enthusiasm for innovative projects which aim to address environmental impact from design stage to daily use.

SCOPE OF WORKS

Full electrical installation including data, fire, security and solar PV
LED lighting with daylight dimming, sensors, and wireless switching throughout the building. This included 30 LED Lampposts, 40 LED Bollards, 20 LED exterior lights, and over 90 LED luminaires in the classrooms

CHALLENGES

A fast-track programme that required completion by the end of Summer 2023 to accommodate the new students arriving in September. This required overtime and weekend working
Unfavourable weather conditions during the winter months presented challenges while the building was at ‘shell stage’