Cressex Community School, built 2009-2010, is a secondary school located in Buckinghamshire. The school has capacity for 1100 pupils and was designed and built by BAM.
Designed to achieve a 60% reduction in CO2 emissions over 2002 Building Regulations, the school features a woodchip biomass boiler, ground source heat pumps, a gas boiler and mechanical ventilation all controlled by a Building Management System. The school has achieved a BREEAM ‘Very Good’ rating and a B rated Energy Performance Certificate.
XCO2 completed a comprehensive Post Occupancy Evaluation study of the new school. The study included: analysing metered data, occupant satisfaction surveys, internal comfort monitoring, a full thermographic study, review of handover and a BMS assessment. A combination of factors including on-going difficulties with the biomass boiler and a lack of experienced facilities staff on site have led to the building struggling to perform as well as expected. The study presented an opportunity to explore the issues that affect the building performance with the aim of improving the energy performance of the building where possible.
