The Bauder green roof on Sharrow Primary School in Sheffield was the first in the country to be declared a nature reserve. A fitting accolade for a school that defies traditional ideas of what a school should be.

Restricted ground space opened up the opportunity to create green roofs at three levels for play space, and outdoor classrooms and a 2000m² biodiversity roof designed to replicate a meadow, complete with cornflowers and other urban plants. It is also a haven for birds and other kinds of wildlife, with rotting tree stumps provided for many kinds of insects. All of roofs are used as a learning resource with curriculum-friendly uses for all the children.

Sharrow Primary is also Sheffield’s greenest school, with a heating system powered by warmth coming up from deep in the earth and toilets flushed by rainwater, further proving that Sharrow School is a real testament to what can be achieved and is a landmark construction that raises the benchmark. This sustainable building was delivered on time and within budget with ongoing whole life cost savings.