Woodmill and St Columba's High Schools
A project which brought together two existing high schools – Woodmill, and St Columba’s RC – onto a new shared site known as the Dunfermline Learning Campus.
Synopsis
The project brought together two existing high schools – Woodmill, and St Columba’s RC – onto a new shared site known as the Dunfermline Learning Campus.
Funded by Fife Council, the project was designed to a Passivhaus certification, which aims to minimise energy consumption through efficiencies and clean energy generation.
It was one of the biggest Passivhaus projects undertaken by Bauder and approved contractor Procladd, and at the time of writing is the UK's largest Passivhaus education building.
The project was also the first of its kind to use the Scottish Government and Scottish Futures Trust’s Net Zero Public Sector Buildings Standard.
To meet Passivhaus standards, three key criteria were applied:
- North/south orientation, optimising solar control and gains
- Simplified building massing to achieve an efficient form factor
- Stringent air tightness targets
Pre-construction calculations were carried out in order to establish exactly what would be needed. To meet the requirements, for example, the thickness of the insulation used in the build-up was greater than one would usually expect. Then, in collaboration with the architect and the Passivhaus certifiers, the build-up was set and incorporated into the specification.
| Project | Woodmill and St Columba's High Schools |
| Type | New build |
| Location | Dunfermline, Scotland |
| Roof size | 14,214 m² |
| Specifier | AHR |
| Main contractor | BAM |
| Approved contractor | Procladd (Scotland) Ltd |
The specification
In collaboration with the architect, AHR, and main contractor BAM, the Bakor Hot Melt system was chosen for its robustness, ease of application and reliability. The system will also last the lifetime of the building.
Project challenges
Due to the sheer scale of this project, there were multiple challenges and considerations to consider.
From a design point of view, and due to the fact that it was the first Passivhaus project of its size, the onsite detailing was constantly monitored to make sure that all criteria were being met.
There were logistical challenges too. To counter this, communication was kept at a constant between Bauder and the site team. The majority of deliveries were planned long before works commenced. As with every project, timelines often change, and this job was no different, so Bauder were regularly on-site to monitor progress.
System Build Up
Bauder Bakor Hot Melt, JFRI Premium+ Insulation
Hot Melt system
In-depth and up-to-date product-specific technical data is available for each element within a system.
- Cold Roof - Paved
- Paved with JFRIPREMIUM+ Inverted Insulation
- Paved with BauderGLAS Inverted Insulation
- Ballasted with JFRIPREMIUM+ Inverted Insulation
- Ballasted with BauderGLAS Inverted Insulation
- Extensive with JFRIPREMIUM+ Inverted Insulation
- Extensive with BauderGLAS Inverted Insulation
- Biodiverse with JFRIPREMIUM+ Inverted Insulation
- Intensive with JFRIPREMIUM+ Inverted Insulation
Function
Water Flow Reducing Layer (WFRL)
The result
Upon completion, Bauder provided a product and workmanship guarantee for 20 years. During the installation process, Bauder carried out regular inspections, on-site support and progress reports.
By working closely with the approved contractor, any queries or challenges were quickly resolved.
The new combined Woodmill and St Columba’s RC High Schools opened to students in August 2024, and they now provide an excellent social, teaching and learning environment – along with new learning spaces which the wider Fife community can take advantage of.
The project also went on to win in the ‘Bituminous Hot Applied Liquid Waterproofing’ category at the NFRC Scottish Roofing Awards 2024.
Barry Ferguson, Area Technical Manager At the time of construction, this was one of the biggest Passivhaus projects ever undertaken. This meant that the specification and installation of the waterproofing system was critical, along with the insulation needed to achieve required thermal performance.
From initial discussions with the design team through to completion, Bauder worked closely with our approved contractor Procladd, to ensure a smooth, first-class installation.
