Published Tue, Oct 18th 2016
Natural Welsh Slates feature on a new £3 million primary school in Scotland.
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A contemporary take on the traditional Scottish vernacular has been topped with roofing by Welsh Slate, part of the Lagan Group.
Some 1,000m2 or 19,000 Penrhyn Heather Blue Celtic-grade 500mm by 300mm natural slates were specified by South Lanarkshire Council for the new £3 million Abington Primary School, the authority’s fifth project using Welsh Slate.
Welsh Slate had been used previously on Lamington and Leadhills primary schools and Lanark Memorial Hall and is currently being used on West Coats primary school.
Architect Chris Green, of South Lanarkshire’s housing and technical resources department, said: “We liked the colour and the quality of finish and the fact there is no rusting or staining. We have used it previously when looking to get a matching slate for the Scottish ballachulish slate which is no longer mined.
“Slate roofs with stone and rendered walls are in keeping with the local vernacular. Slate roofs with painted timber open eaves is a traditional detail seen on many buildings in the local area.”
At Abington, the Welsh slates were installed by Braisby Roofing for main contractor CCG (Campbell Construction Group) who completed within 44 weeks. The 25˚ duo-pitched roof required a larger slate size than usual to give the necessary overlap.
The new school is part of South Lanarkshire’s £800 million school modernisation programme and was constructed on land adjacent to the former school building to offer new, enhanced facilities for pupils in their first years of primary education.
A total of two classrooms are provided alongside a separate space for nursery pupils. New office facilities are provided for faculty staff as well as a dual-function gymnasium. This gymnasium space has been designed to be utilised as both an indoor sports areas as well as operating as a dining room during the lunch hour. Out of school hours, the space operates as a community hub with high-specification lighting and sound equipment installed to the stage area at the rear of the hall.
Externally, pupils have ample playground space adjacent to a fully-enclosed, all-weather sports pitch.
Abington utilised a CCG off-site manufactured closed-panel timber solution for the construction, inclusive of windows, doors, insulation and service zones. Locally-sourced stone was used for the exterior alongside a specially-designed entrance that utilises different colours of glazing to create a unique atmosphere for pupils in the main hallway.
The building also has solar PV panels and a ground source heat pump that further enhances the energy efficiency of the building.
