Wraptite® External Air Barrier Helps to Create State-of-the-art Passivhaus Learning Environments for Over 4500 Scottish Pupils

The three schools are Perth High School, East End Community Campus in Dundee, and Monifieth Learning Campus. Construction commenced on all three within the space of a few months in the first half of 2023.

Perth High School was the first project to get underway. The current Oakbank Road building is more than 50 years old and rated ‘poor’ for suitability. It has been used beyond its design life. The new-build school will replace the existing facility when it is handed over in summer 2025.

Originally, a more traditional design and specification was intended for the construction, which will be used by 1600 pupils and 140 staff. The Passivhaus approach was adopted during the design process, and required minimal alteration to the building’s agreed form and location.

Two Dundee high schools also nearing the end of their life – Craigie High School and Braeview Academy – will be replaced by the East End Community Campus. Designed to accommodate around 1800 pupils, the site includes an integrated education centre for those with complex assisted support needs.

Expected to be handed over in summer 2025 as well, the campus’s sports facilities will be available to local groups and clubs. Some council services will be delivered from the new campus too.

The new education and community campus in Monifieth, near Dundee, features a new school for 1200 pupils and amenities including a swimming pool and Sport Scotland-standard athletics facilities. Angus Council’s intention is for the campus to be used fully, all year round.

Like Perth High School, construction is being phased so the new school is constructed while the old one remains in use. The existing facility will then be demolished once the new campus is up and running.

The external walls of each new school are constructed in a slightly different way, showing that the Passivhaus standard can be achieved using different construction methods. Building on and using its sustainable construction expertise, Robertson ensured the standard was capable of being met on these three projects.

“We wanted to take what we learnt delivering Scotland’s first certified Passivhaus school, Riverside Primary, and apply it to future projects,” said Kevin Dickson, Regional Managing Director, Robertson Construction Tayside. “This opportunity came with the appointment to deliver three Passivhaus schools, constructed to realise each local authority’s vision while generating meaningful benefits throughout the process.”

A similar procurement process to Riverside Primary meant that using Wraptite satisfied the requirement for using local suppliers, on top of the experience gained in using it to meet the airtightness requirements.

Perth High School is a concrete frame with mineral wool insulation and a facing brick facade. The school buildings to the other two campuses feature a mix of concrete and steel frame, with high performance insulation. Facing brickwork is the finish at Monifieth, while East End Community Campus will have finishes of facing brickwork, precast concrete and cladding.

Wraptite is well-suited to Passivhaus projects, and the different construction methods demonstrate its versatility in helping to meet the standard’s high levels of airtightness. By moving the airtight line to the exterior face of the wall structure, it avoids a lot of complex detailing around services and other penetrations that typically occur at the internal face.

As a fully-adhered vapour permeable membrane, Wraptite saves on labour and material costs, without compromising airtightness levels and without increasing condensation risk within the structure. Not all detailing issues can be avoided, of course, and where particular areas of detailing do need to be addressed there is the added benefit of Wraptite tape.

On-site quality checks are a hallmark of the Passivhaus standard and accreditation. The simple solution offered by Wraptite allows those checks to be carried out with the minimum of fuss.

Find out more: https://proctorgroup.com/products/wraptite