Greenhill Primary School in Gelligaer has won another major award for its environmental design.
The building is the country’s only Energy Performance Certificate A+ rated school because of its energy efficient design.
The £3.95million school won a ‘Sustainability Award’ at this year’s Consortium of Local Authorities in Wales (CLAW) Awards 2011. This latest honour closely follows the ‘Low/Zero Carbon Award’ at the recent Constructing Excellence in Wales 2011 awards.
Cllr Colin Mann, deputy leader of the council and cabinet member responsible for sustainability said: “We are immensely proud of this fantastic new school and these accolades reflect the quality of the project from initial planning stages through to the finished scheme. I feel that this is a huge recognition for the expertise of our in-house Building Consultancy team who delivered the project.
“I am delighted that our commitment to sustainability and energy efficiency has been recognised at such a high level. This award reinforces how we at Caerphilly council are leading the way in providing sustainable, energy efficient buildings, which will be fit for purpose for generations to come.”
The school generates more electricity than it uses, with the surplus fed back into the grid, while rainwater is collected to flush toilets.
Rainwater will also be harvested and will be used to flush toilets, and over half of the water used by the school will be recycled.
Greenhill Primary School was built with funding from the Welsh Government.