New school contract

Mar 4 2010 by Kenneth Speirs, Paisley Daily Express

A PAISLEY construction company has won a new £7.8 million contract to build a new eco-school.

Working for Fife Council, Morgan Ashurst, based at Glasgow International Airport Business Park, has designed and will build a brand new primary school in Dunfermline, which will aim to be one of the greenest schools in Scotland.

The school – which the company says will set a new standard of education facilities in Fife – will boast a number of innovative sustainable features, including a Combined Heat and Power Engine to heat the building and provide electricity, rainwater harvesting technology and natural ventilation.

Morgan Ashurst will aim for a BREEAM (British Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) rating of “excellent” with the incorporation of wind turbines and A+ rated building materials currently being explored as an option for the client.

“We’re thrilled to be part of this exciting project to build one of Scotland’s most sustainable schools,” said Morgan Ashurst managing director Harry Thorburn.

“We are always to keen to minimise our carbon footprint as much as we can on all of our construction sites and this project has given us an opportunity to use sustainable technologies and construction methods throughout the entire process from the design phases.

“We hope the local community will enjoy watching their new school take shape over the next year.”

Cllr Douglas Chapman, chair of Fife Council’s Education and Children’s Services Committee, added: “We are investing £126 million into our Building Fife’s Future project to ensure that the children of Fife will be educated in schools that are fit for the 21st century.

“We have an excellent opportunity now to build schools not just for today but for the future.

“The key to that future-proofing is building schools which are sustainable.

“That’s why I’m delighted with Morgan Ashurst’s sector-leading, ecological design for the school.”