Consultant appointed QS and CDM co-ordinator for the £5.5m scheme to relocate Dartington Primary School

Consultant Ridge has been appointed QS and CDM co-ordinator for the relocation of an eco-friendly school in Devon.

Dartington Primary School currently sits in a flood plain, which is the cause of its relocation. Being based on a site filled with natural resources, the brief for the £5.5m rebuild ensures this natural element will not disappear.

Clive Woodford, partner at Ridge, said: “The building is designed to go back to nature. The use of cluster buildings creates a safe, external teaching area and blends in with the natural surroundings.

“We are using carbon neutral materials, and the whole design incorporates a range of sustainable products to ensure the building leaves a lasting environmental legacy.”

Three cluster buildings compose the new site, with access via a covered external teaching area to reinforce the natural feel.

Planting and natural materials will be used to create this secure area, and the new school will feature additional cloakroom facilities.

Woodford added: “Ridge has worked closely with the design team to provide up-to-date costs for the latest technology. This will be a state of the art school with minimal impact on the environment.”

The school will accommodate an additional 26 full-time nursery children to the existing 360 pupils, when it opens in Autumn 2009.

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