Education

St Lawrence College

Building works on the new school boarding facilities for St. Lawrence College, Kent, are now complete with approximately 330 pupils using the building.

Crofton developed an innovative, highly energy efficient and environmentally friendly services scheme.  Some of the latest thinking in controlling summer time internal temperatures are being installed, subsequently reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions.

The new building will provide separate accommodation, teaching and hobbies blocks, all of which will be connected by a large atrium, covered with an impressive transparent, pneumatically inflated roof system.  A two storey replica ‘Cooling Tower’ feature located at the centre of the atrium, will accommodate a state of the art computer facility.

Crofton’s approach to this project has been to focus on environmental issues and energy use.  The scheme will incorporate a rainwater recovery system which harvests all rainwater falling on the building.  Rainwater will be gravity piped to a 36,000L underground storage tank, to be filtered and pumped back for re-use in WC’s and grounds watering.  The rainwater store will also be used as a heat sink, to cool the building in the summer, taking advantage of the constant underground temperature of 12 ºC. This provides cool water for circulation through the under floor heating system of the school, and provides cooling for the Atrium.  

A mixed-mode ventilation system will be employed, driven by natural stack effect, with assistance from extract fans.  The ventilation air will be drawn through a system of large concrete underground ducts to pre cool the air and assist in controlling summer time temperatures.