Saint John Houghton Catholic Voluntary Academy has become the first secondary school in the county to install a new type of pre-fabricated eco-classroom.
Students have moved into the four new Schoolhaus® classrooms, with associated storerooms and toilets, which are used for RE lessons.
Built by Net Zero Buildings, they are pre-fabricated off-site in a factory and then assembled rapidly on site in a matter of weeks, reducing waste and constructions costs.
The classrooms are fitted with 176 solar roof panels which generate clean power to run them and any extra power generated will be used for the rest of the school or sold back to the National Grid.
All the buildings are highly insulated, minimising heat loss, and have a zero-carbon rating, meaning they have low running costs and are energy efficient.
Headteacher Joan McCarthy said she was delighted with the classrooms.
She said: “The new classrooms look fantastic both inside and out and they are a welcome addition to our growing school.
“We are always keen to consider new ideas when it comes to expanding and improving and we are thrilled that these buildings have so many environmental benefits.
“I am sure that our students and staff will enjoy this new clean, modern space which will give our learning environment a real boost.”
Robert Little, Sales Director at Net Zero Buildings, said he hoped students and staff at Saint John Houghton CVA, in Kirk Hallam, would enjoy the classrooms for many years to come.
He said: “This has been a fantastic project and we’re very proud of the finished result. As with all our Schoolhaus® buildings, we built most of it off-site in our factory. This meant that we could assemble it very quickly while on-site and keep disruption to teaching, school life and the local community to a minimum.
“The building is very energy efficient and its solar panels mean that it will actually produce more energy than it uses over its lifetime. We’re thrilled that Saint John Houghton chose a Schoolhaus® for this project, and we’re sure that its pupils and teachers will enjoy their bright, airy new learning and teaching space.”
