Located in Inverness, Scotland, Merkinch Primary School was expanded by 11,000 square feet to create a state-of-the-art learning environment and strengthen the school’s role within the local community.
Robertson Construction Northern
Phase 2 (Conversion) – 16,575 SF (1,540 SM)
Challenge
Future-proofing a historic school required balancing contemporary educational needs with the preservation of its Category B listed Victorian heritage. The project also needed to demonstrate a sustainable approach to construction while allowing the existing school to remain operational throughout the building works.
Solution
The extension provides 14 new classrooms, a new ancillary teaching area, three nursing rooms, and a four-court games hall. Designed to complement the original building, the project utilizes cross-laminated timber (CLT) construction, making it one of the largest schools in Scotland to use the low-carbon material. Careful planning enabled construction to proceed alongside ongoing school operations, with temporary accommodation minimizing disruption to students and staff.
Outcome
Developed in collaboration with teachers, students, and community members, the extension creates modern educational spaces while preserving the school’s historic identity. The use of CLT reduces embodied carbon and stores carbon within the building structure, supporting long-term sustainability goals while delivering lasting value for the school and wider community.
The extension adds 14 classrooms, three nursing rooms, an ancillary teaching area, and a four-court games hall to support future growth
One of the largest schools in Scotland to use cross-laminated timber (CLT), the extension significantly reduces embodied carbon while storing carbon within the building structure.
Photo Credit: John Paul Photography/Robertson Construction Northern
NORR was appointed by Robertson Construction Northern to design a large extension to the existing Merkinch Primary School in Inverness, Scotland. Originally built in 1876, the primary goal was to future-proof the building for generations of students using sustainable methods of construction. The 11,000 square-foot contemporary extension was designed as a state-of-the-art educational facility that paid respect to the original Category B listed Victorian school.
Featuring 14 new classrooms, a new ancillary teaching area, three new nursing rooms and a four-court game hall, the new school is dedicated to creating spaces, places and experiences that benefit the local community. The design vision was to create the largest school in Scotland to be built using Cross-Laminated Timber, (CLT) which is more sustainable than traditional materials of construction. CLT has many environmental advantages over more traditional construction techniques and has a far lower embodied carbon footprint than steel or concrete. Moreover, the mass timber of the CLT acts as a carbon sink, essentially removing C02 from the atmosphere and trapping it in the building structure.
Through careful planning, the existing school was able to remain operational throughout the construction period, minimizing disruption to the students. Temporary modular accommodation was provided on the existing playing fields to limit the use of existing classrooms. NORR delivered a sustainable project by collaborating with teachers, students and community members to design a modern education facility with historical roots that will benefit the entire community.
Photo Credit: John Paul Photography/Robertson Construction Northern
