The certification came as the UK struggled through a dangerous heat wave, and while many schools closed, the new school remained open.
Built by Morgan Sindall 萝莉原创's Northern Home Counties business for Huntingdon County Council, which aspires to be carbon neutral by 2030, the ten classroom school won the the Constructing Excellence award for Climate Action in 2024 and now the Passivhaus Trust has announced that the building meets its demanding criteria for net zero buildings.
To commemorate this accreditation, a ceremony was held on 26th聽June to unveil a plaque marking the school鈥檚 Passivhaus status.
Industry-leading technologies and techniques were employed to reduce the school鈥檚 carbon footprint throughout construction. This included using the digital carbon monitoring tool, CarboniCa, which calculates and informs how design and construction decisions will impact the carbon output. This resulted in a school that beat the Low Energy Transformation Initiative鈥檚 (LETI) embodied carbon target of 600kg of CO2 per sq. m by 50%.
Since opening, the school has been regularly evaluated to check its sustainability performance in operation. In its first year, the building recorded an energy usage rate of 39.44 kWh/m2 per year, which was more than 20 kWh/m2 per year lower than the LETI target. In fact, between September 2024 and December 2025, the buildings operational carbon and energy use was negative, so it produced more electricity than it consumed as 11.7 kg of CO2 was saved.
Installing a cross laminated timber (CLT) frame saved two tonnes of carbon for every metre cubed used. On completion, the frame saved 1,160 tonnes of carbon and reduced construction traffic by 90%, which led to carbon savings of 20%.聽聽
Other sustainable design choices included the innovative use of recycled materials, including using recycled pipework for piled foundations, and 70% recycled aggregate in the substructure鈥檚 concrete.聽By reducing concrete, the project saved approximately 200 tonnes of CO2. 50% of Ground Granulated Blast Slag (GGBS) was used in the foundation 鈥� one tonne of which reduces embodied CO2 by approximately 90kg while increasing the concrete鈥檚 durability.聽
The school鈥檚 renewable energy strategy included installing 184 PV panels and air source heat pumps, enabling the school to operate without reliance on fossil fuels. Triple glazed windows, highly efficient Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing (MEP) systems, and Passive Infrared Sensor (PIR) lighting have also been utilised to boost energy efficiency levels.
聽An operational energy consumption of 67 kWh/m虏 per year was targeted and monitored throughout the design process. This approach led to improved U-values (below 0.1 W/m虏K), enhanced airtightness (below 0.6 air changes per hour), and the complete elimination of thermal bridging in the fa莽ade.
Other innovative design choices included cutting down on hot water sinks in classrooms where they weren鈥檛 required. This reduced pipework, hot water use, and overheating, supporting a more balanced energy usage across the site. The project team tracked deliveries and staff to accurately measure the development鈥檚 carbon footprint and Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) was used on site instead of diesel, saving 82 tonnes of CO2. 聽
All the teaching spaces look north to avoid south-facing windows that can cause rooms to overheat, and classrooms are located on the upper floors. Social areas such as the dining halls and common rooms are south facing to encourage a well-lit, active environment while saving on heating costs. These decisions all contributed to improving the building鈥檚 energy efficiency.
Pupil comfort was carefully considered in the school鈥檚 design, which saw the use of natural materials to reduce anxiety, the mitigation of VOC鈥檚 and Formaldehyde to improve air quality, and a focus on views of nature, natural daylight and ventilation, to create a calming space.
Even during heatwaves, the school鈥檚 design facilitates an effective teaching environment, as the building鈥檚 plant provides peak lopping, which prevents the school from going much over 26掳C. This works by the building harnessing energy generated by the Photovoltaic panels and uses it to cool incoming air by drawing it across cooling coils in the ventilation plant.
Emma Curtis, area director for Morgan Sindall 萝莉原创 in the Northern Home Counties, said:鈥�淏untingford First School receiving Passivhaus certification marks an important milestone in how we think about school design and construction. Being fully net zero carbon and Passivhaus certified means it shines a spotlight on what can be achieved when sustainability and pupil needs are placed front and centre right from the start.
鈥淭hanks to the close collaboration from an early stage between Hertfordshire County Council, Scholars Education Trust, and our team, Buntingford First School provides a blueprint for creating carbon neutral, high-quality educational environments not only in Hertfordshire, but right across the UK. It is evidence that with the right vision, team and strategy, outstanding results can be achieved.鈥�