Durkan builds the UK's most sustainable school

The UK's most sustainable school in Britain is under construction in Hackney. Berger primary school, designed by Studio E Architects, gained the highest ever BREEAM “excellent” rating for a school, at 74.26%.

Contractor Durkan is building the £8m school, which will hold 472 children, for the Learning Trust, which runs the education services for the London Borough of Hackney.

The “excellent” rating was achieved partly by the inclusion in the design of photovoltaic solar power cells, a small wind turbine and a green roof.

The timber structure has Programme for the Endorsement of the Forest certification for the laminated timber panels, which were precision-engineered off-site before installation by specialist manufacturer Eurban.

Durkan also ensured that gravel provided by subcontractors was sourced within a 30km radius of the site and has built an observation platform to facilitate site visits during construction of the school.