Built for Low Environmental Impact
A construction kit of parts – creating a platform to build sustainable schools that meet the challenges of climate change.
A Kit of Parts
Our schools will be built to a systems based design - a platform for buildings manufactured in a factory setting. The spaces themselves are standardised and simple, with consistent construction materials. They are undefined by fixed furniture and fittings and allow for different curriculum models with little need for change, which reduces material waste and maximises flexibility.
Ultra Low Carbon
A zero carbon future is at the forefront of the design of our school buildings. By making construction and landscaping choices which help to mitigate climate change and reducing the impact of construction on the environment, the design delivers a platform for a school building which will remain ultra-low carbon over its lifespan.
An Active Choice of Timber
UK sourced timber will be used throughout the buildings, both for construction and for surfaces and furniture. This low carbon, renewable resource contributes now and throughout the life of the building: it is replaceable, it looks and feels good over a long period.
A Digital Way of Working
Our buildings are designed for manufacture. Digital twinning advancements allows us to digitally map the entire building in a factory setting; modelling to scale before anything is ever assembled physically. This allows us to minimise waste and installation time, and monitor data outputs for cost and carbon analysis across a broad range of software sources.
Insights
This proposed modern method of construction will also support a more efficient supply chain, factory construction and easy on site assembly.
Flooring
In traditional construction, the floor slab is structural, with insulating layers between it and the surface you walk on - like carpets which can be carbon intensive. For GenZero schools, there is 30% less concrete compared to traditional piled foundations and composite floor slabs with an integrated wearing surface.
Furniture
GenZero has created standardised, modular furniture types with variations to suit room types. There are only five chair types across the whole school and limited fixed furniture, with work benches on wheels for easy reconfiguration. This visual and material consistency promotes wellbeing and reduces waste.
Services
Services throughout the building have been designed to be modular, flexible and standardised from plant room to classroom. As with every component of these school buildings, the strategy is focused on reducing material waste and installation time whilst maximising flexibility.
Solar Energy
A combination of solar thermal panels for hot water and solar photovoltaic panels for electricity placed strategically around the campus ensures the energy results of the school buildings are both highly efficient and ultra-low carbon.
