When you think of schools, you think of pupils sat behind their desks being taught in classrooms. However, pupils aren’t the only ones embarking on a learning journey; UK schools are currently undergoing their own net zero learning journey in some shape or form, especially in their efforts to deliver their 2025 Climate Action Plan.
In its recently-published 100 days round-up, the Labour Government highlighted the fact that schools are the single largest carbon emitter within the public sector and reinforced the importance of them becoming a model for sustainability.
Meanwhile, according to Let’s Go Zero, the national campaign aimed at uniting and supporting UK schools working to become zero carbon by 2030, schools have the power to prevent 625,000 tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere. Identifying and slashing emission outputs from every possible angle, ranging from transport and waste to water and energy, is seen as being the ultimate solution, with more than 4,300 schools signing up to the campaign so far. This drive to empower schools to reach their climate action goals is supported by our partnership with Points4Planet, providing tools or schools to overcome sustainability challenges and remain on the pathway to net zero.
New or old: The future is net zero
Building new schools and upgrading existing school sites from a net zero perspective is undoubtedly the future that will catapult the education sector into a whole new chapter of lean, green and clean operations.
But how do we/they get there?
By challenging the status quo, which includes moving away from traditional building design and construction and towards solutions that are geared up to help sectors, including education, achieve net zero energy in operation.
‘M’ is for modular
It is for the schools whose net zero visions incorporate modular buildings, which are increasingly being recognised as the sustainable solution for creating additional space, as well as transforming existing spaces into future-proofed, ultra-energy efficient environments.
MMC is a major game-changer with an enviable set of credentials. For instance, it can be:
Used for any type of school project
Small or large, extension or refurb, modular buildings can be designed to not just slot into place on any school site, they can be constructed with minimal disruption because they are manufactured offsite. This also means construction time can be reduced by up to 50% too.
To date, we’ve worked our modular magic on a number of school sites across the UK, which includes Treetops Free School in Essex. Commissioned by the DfE as part of its MMC1 framework, the school is an MMC trailblazer.
Tailored to your specific needs
You tell us how you want your buildings to look, and we go away and design and manufacture them, special requirements and all. In the case of Treetops, they needed a highly flexible space that supported the needs of their SEND pupils.
Highly configurable, modular builds can be effortlessly adapted to achieve the end vision, which is precisely what we did for Treetops. The new site fully caters for pupils’ educational, medical and therapeutic needs, and incorporates a sensory room for children, as well as parental spaces for family therapy. What’s more, all of the rooms are extremely adaptable, which will enable the school to continue to meet pupils’ learning needs now, and for many years to come.
The solution to achieving net zero
MMC is lean, clean and green, so much so, all of the school projects we have worked on over the years are fully net zero in operation and reaping the many benefits that MMC can bring, such as reduced energy costs and sustainability success.
Opting for a modular build at Treetops saves Thurrock Council an estimated £9,000 a year in energy bills. Meanwhile, the school is widely recognised as being a sustainability champion, thanks to energy efficient features, including PV panels and EPC A+ net zero-rated technologies.
Treetops Free School is leading the education sector’s net zero charge with a highly sustainable project vision that has been brought to life and supercharged on multiple levels with a little MMC know-how.
For more information about this ground-breaking project, click here. For more information or to discuss your net zero requirements with us, get in touch.
