The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
New primary school opens
Anew energyefficient school in Perth has been officially opened. Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills Jenny Gilruth and Perthshire MSP John Swinney opened Riverside Primary School yesterday, which replaced and merged Balhousie Primary School and North Muirton Primary School.
The newly-built school, which has been open to staff and pupils since June, is the first accredited passivhaus school in Scotland and part of the Scottish Government’s learning estate investment plan.
This means the school meets thermal, air quality and carbon emission standards, using significantly less energy than is usual for a building of its size.
Riverside Primary School has also been shortlisted for a Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) UK Regional Award in the public sector category.
The awards showcase inspirational initiatives and developments in land, real estate, construction and infrastructure.
Councillor John Rebbeck, convener of the learning and families committee, said: “I am pleased that we are able to officially open Riverside Primary School with passivhaus accreditation in place and to hear that the building has been shortlisted for an award by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.
“As we look to the future for our estate it is vital that we look for solutions to ensure our buildings are designed and built to the best quality to be as efficient as possible and this is where approaches such as passivhaus is so important as the energysaving measures are integrated at the detailed design stage and closely monitored during the construction stage.
“I hope we will see this approach become more common and look forward to this design standard being used for the new Perth High School and Blairgowrie Recreation Centre.
“I extend my thanks and gratitude to all who have been involved in the process to get us here – everyone from the design team, Hub East Central, Robertson Construction, the many subcontractors, council officers from the property and education teams and last but not least the teachers, pupils and parents.”
Sheena Devlin, strategic lead for education and learning, added: “I’m very pleased with how the staff and pupils have settled into the new school.
“Riverside Primary School replaced two separate schools and throughout the process we involved the local community as much as possible, e.g. choosing the school’s name to help create a sense of ownership of the school’s new identity.
“Merging schools can be a challenging process and I commend staff, pupils and parents for their creativity, ingenuity and care.
“I’m looking forward to continuing to work together to help the school thrive and achieve the very best for all the pupils who attend Riverside Primary School.”