ARCHITECT Keppie Design and contractor Morrison Construction have handed over Stromness Primary School in Orkney.
Part of the Orkney Islands Schools Investment Programme the school’s appearance is intended to be a contemporary interpretation of the traditional Stromness vernacular and is achieved by arranging a series of gable ends facing towards Hamnavoe.
The project team was also able to use local materials in a nod to the school’s roots and to ensure an ‘Orkney feel’ was created.
Spread over 2,460 sq. metres, the school achieves an ‘Excellent’ BREEAM rating by using renewable energy, natural ventilation and daylight, reduced solar glare and improved bio-diversity. It was built on a former brownfield site to the north of Stromness with views over Hamnavoe.
Peter Moran, director at Keppie Design, which also provided landscape and interior design services for the project, commented: “One of the main design features of the new facility is the physical linking of the nursery to the primary school and the incorporation of internal breakout spaces that can be utilised by surrounding classrooms, increasing their flexibility.”
