Wilkinson Primary School, Wolverhampton

Heradesign ceiling panels from Knauf AMF have been specified for one of the country’s first certified Passivhaus primary schools.

Wilkinson Primary school was commissioned by Wolverhampton City Council. The staff and pupils had input into the innovative and imaginative design of their new school which features classrooms and group rooms clustered around shared, central activity hubs. The ground floor classrooms enjoy direct access to the outdoor areas, while large windows throughout the building provide bright, well-lit spaces. The Passivhaus design was chosen for the school because it creates exceptional indoor comfort and meets the local authority’s requirement to reduce the building’s energy consumption.

Wilkinson Primary School building utilises high levels of natural light and excellent ventilation to create a healthy and positive atmosphere that helps motivate the pupils and aid concentration. Heradesign played a key role in creating these feel-good rooms with 2,000m² ceiling panels installed in the classrooms, sports hall and circulation areas.

Heradesign is a range of quality acoustic ceiling and wall panels manufactured from sustainable wood-wool from PEFC and FSC certified sources. The visible wood fibres give the panels a distinctive, organic surface finish with a choice of fibres ranging from 1-3mm thick. The panels are robust to ensure longevity. The UK’s leading Passivhaus architects, Architype, chose Heradesign because its environmental credentials closely aligned with the project’s sustainable design ethos and met the School’s Building Bulletin 93.

Supervising Associate at Architype, Lee Fordham, explains why he prefers the aesthetic appearance and environmental credentials of Heradesign:

“The white and natural coloured acoustic ceiling panels bring a sense of warmth and texture into the learning spaces. In all our specifications, especially for schools, we opt for non-toxic and healthy materials to create a conducive learning environment. We are very pleased with the Heradesign panels and they have become part of our standard robust palette of sustainable materials.”

The natural appearance of the Heradesign panels fit perfectly with the clean-look, minimalist style of the architecture. But, if you’re wanting an interior design where colour is the focal point, Heradesign is available in a wide variety of colours including pastels, solid and metallic colours as well as well as popular colour systems such as RAL, NCS or StoColor.

Heradesign panels are ideal for schools because they offer outstanding sound absorption, high impact resistance and the highest fire safety rating. Wilkinson Primary School has open areas which are used for teaching and group activities – areas like these are prone to unwanted noise which can disrupt learning. The Class A sound absorption of the ceiling panels provides the necessary noise control to allow clear communication between the teacher and pupils in the classroom, which will have a positive effect on academic performance.

The high impact performance of the panels has been put to good use in the school’s sports hall. Heradesign is durable and strong enough to withstand heavy-impact ball games.

Knauf AMF is well-known for their commitment to the environment and Heradesign is a sustainable product which does not produce any harmful emissions in-situ or have any components that could cause harm to the health of the building or its occupants. Heradesign has received the ‘building biology harmless’ certificate. The panels have a 15 year warranty. But at the end of their lifetime, the panels are recyclable and do not contribute to landfill.

For information on how Heradesign can contribute to your sustainable design and help create feel-good rooms, contact Knauf AMF at info@knaufamf.co.uk or visit www.amfceilings.co.uk

Client: Wolverhampton City Council
Architect: Architype