Passivhaus Schools & Educational Buildings

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In February 2012, Oakmeadow Primary School & Bushbury Primary School in Wolverhampton, and Montgomery Primary School in Exeter, became the first UK schools built and certified to Passivhaus Standard. Since then, there have been several certified Passivhaus schools built in the UK, constructed from a range of materials and budgets.

Oakmeadow Primary School, Architype ©Leigh Simpson

Key Stats

There are 16 UK certified Passivhaus schools in total.
There are 12 certified Passivhaus schools in England, 2 nursery schools in Scotland, and 2 primary school in Wales.
The first UK schools to meet the Passivhaus standard were Oakmeadow Primary School, Bushbury Hill Primary School and Montgomery Primary School, all certified in February 2012.
There are 27 UK Passivhaus certified educational buildings, including schools, colleges, and University buildings.
The University of Leicester, Centre for Medicine is currently the largest commercial Passivhaus in the UK.

NB – The above stats are correct for certified Passivhaus schools, to the Trust’s knowledge at Janurary 2022. Whilst we endeavour to keep a thorough record of all UK certified Passivhaus schemes, if we are not informed of a project, or it is not fully certified, it may not be on our database.

Passivhaus Schools

Other Education & Learning Facilities

There are also a number of other UK educational projects that cater for higher education & research:

In the pipeline

There are a few other schools and other educational schemes under construction or awaiting Passivhaus certification:

Currie Community High School - Scotland
Thornhill Primary - Bedfordshire
St. Sophia's Primary School - Scotland
Edinburgh Schools - Scotland
Peterchurch Primary School - Herefordshire
Welshpool Church Primary School - Wales
Perth & Kinross High School - Scotland
Maybury Primary School & Health Centre - Edinburgh
Ardrossan Community Campus - Scotland

Post Occupancy Evaluation

PHT Patron Member Architype, have conducted a post occupancy data monitoring on a number of their school projects. The data proves that pupils’ concentration levels benefit from the superior indoor air quality and thermal comfort a Passivhaus provides. Controlled and maintained CO₂ levels help the children stay alert and attentive throughout the day. Running and maintenance costs are slashed, as the building requires nominal energy to heat or cool.

Architype schools: Summer CO2 concentration levels

If you have an educational Passivhaus project under construction or nearing certification – please let us know by completing and returning the project information request form to:info@passivhaustrust.org.uk

Further Information

Passivhaus for Educational Buildings Campaign

Previous PHT story: Scottish Schools lead large scale Passivhaus - 8 April 2022

What is Passivhaus

Passivhaus Student Competition

Passivhaus for Local Authorities

How to build a Passivhaus (and other guides)