Friday 3 December 2021

Willmott Dixon building £21m net zero school in Preston

Willmott Dixon has been chosen by the Department for Education (DfE) to build a £21 million net zero school project in Preston.

The sustainable learning hub will be an add-on to Tarleton Academy, hold 750 pupils and consist of 36 classrooms, sport facilities and a 20-metre swimming pool for local community use.

The academy will become net zero in operation through renewable energy generation, the installation of heat pumps and solar panels across the roof and triple glazed windows to maintain heat.

The school will also have its energy performance monitored by Willmott Dixon for three years after it is handed over.

Tarleton Academy follows Willmott Dixon’s projects such as the £38 million Harris Academy in Sutton and Hackbridge Primary School, which consumers only 75% of the renewable energy it generates – selling the rest back to the grid.

Anthony Dillon, Managing Director, said: “We are delighted to be working with DfE at Tarleton Academy to deliver a world class learning environment, which will be net zero carbon in operation and benefit from our extensive performance monitoring process to reduce costs.”

You can listen to our recent podcast with EQUANS to learn more about how schools are transitioning to net zero.