East Calder Primary School is a two-stream school developed on the site of the existing end-of-life facility as part of the Learning Estate Investment Programme (LEIP) for West Lothian Council and Hub South East Scotland.
Hub South East Scotland
Challenge
The challenge was to deliver a highly sustainable school within an occupied site while maintaining accessibility and minimizing disruption to the existing school community. The design also needed to balance energy performance, flexibility, and a strong civic presence.
Solution
Our design combines collaborative and individual learning spaces with outdoor play and learning environments. Entered through its taller south-western corner, the building gradually reveals a rich blend of interconnected spaces. Thoughtful manipulation of scale, light, and form creates an engaging learning environment that supports a variety of teaching styles and brings joy to pupils and staff alike.
Outcome
The building’s triangular shape enhances thermal performance, reduces heat loss, and contributes to a lower carbon footprint, while a simple roof drainage strategy minimizes maintenance requirements. These measures reduce operational demands and support an inclusive learning environment that brings lasting value to pupils, staff, and the wider community.
Accessibility and sustainability were key commitments
Inside spaces are interesting and punctuated with natural light
The triangular shape of the building enhances thermal efficiency and reduces heat loss
The vision was to create a high-quality learning environment with energy performance levels directly comparable to Passive House standards.
Designed to create a unique and sustainable education facility, this state-of-the-art primary school seamlessly integrates flexible collaborative and individual workspaces with outdoor play and learning spaces.
Photo Credit: Keith Hunter Photography
East Calder Primary School is a newly developed two-stream tandem build on the site of the existing end-of-life school. As a LEIP (Learning Estate Investment Programme) funded development for West Lothian Council with Hub South East Scotland, the vision was to create a high-quality learning environment with energy performance levels directly comparable to Passive House standards.
Designed to create a unique and sustainable education facility, this state-of-the-art primary school seamlessly integrates flexible collaborative and individual workspaces with outdoor play and learning spaces. The intriguing and striking triangular form is a great example of a low energy, holistic design that is derived specifically from its own particular place.
Occupying the generally flat northern portion of the site, the building is entered at its taller south-western corner before slowly revealing the complex blend of interconnected spaces within. The thoughtful manipulation of scale, light, and form provided by the design are all important factors in creating exciting, site-specific architecture which brings tangible joy to all its users, especially the 462 pupils.
The triangular shape of the building enhances thermal efficiency and reduces heat loss by providing a highly efficient form factor with a higher-performing surface-to-volume ratio. This form factor also allowed the use of double glazed, rather than triple glazed windows, further adding to the reduction in the building’s overall carbon footprint. The building’s roof drains to one gutter, minimizing maintenance and simplifying the site drainage strategy as well.
The overall design of the school is compact, memorable, and dynamic, offering a strong yet welcoming civic presence and a rich, interconnected interior which generates and reinforces a very powerful sense of a fully inclusive school community. Inside, the spaces are genuinely interesting and punctuated with natural light. Accessibility and sustainability were key commitments throughout construction, which was carried out while the existing school remained operational until the new facility was completed.
Photo Credit: Keith Hunter Photography
